Chapter 242: Grandmaster Tianxiang

sensed the powerful aura emanating from the young monk, and a flicker of caution flashed in Ye Xiu's eyes.

Although this was his first time seeing the young monk, Ye Xiu knew he wasn't as young as he looked. In fact, if nothing unexpected happened, this young monk—pah, an old monk pretending to be young—was likely none other than Lekong, the abbot of Jingnian Zen Temple.

Lekong was arguably the most powerful within Jingnian Zen Temple, the one closest to Grandmaster status.

In pursuit of Grandmaster status, he had practiced the silent meditation technique for decades, remaining silent.

However, this time, Lekong sensed Ye Xiu's formidable strength. Most importantly, Ye Xiu had also eliminated the four Dharma protectors of Jingnian Zen Temple.

Honestly, if their strength was normal, Lekong felt he wouldn't be Ye Xiu's match.

And behind Lekong lay the precious Heshi Jade Jade they were protecting.

So, this time, Lekong had no choice but to speak, ending his silent meditation practice.

The moment he opened his mouth, the silent meditation he had practiced for decades erupted within him. With this momentum, Liaokong attempted to break through his bottleneck and achieve the status of Grandmaster.

Unfortunately, while Liaokong's aptitude was decent, it wasn't enough to become a Grandmaster. Furthermore, the decades of silent meditation still left him a little short of the mark.

Therefore, Liaokong's powerful zhenqi simply couldn't allow him to achieve the Grandmaster status.

However, even though Liaokong didn't become a Grandmaster, the impact of his silent meditation practice hadn't yet subsided, so Liaokong now possessed almost the same combat power as a Grandmaster, even if it wasn't long-lasting.

Sensing that his breakthrough had failed, yet temporarily possessing combat power nearly comparable to a Grandmaster, Monk Liaokong looked at Ye Xiu with a murderous glint in his eyes.

This time, Monk Liaokong, a monk, was determined to kill.

After practicing the Art of Immortality, Ye Xiu became extremely sensitive to external energy, or rather, to any external energy directed toward him. He could clearly sense the intense murderous intent emanating from Monk Lekong.

Sensing Lekong's powerful aura, Ye Xiu's heart sank slightly.

Even though Ye Xiu had mastered celestial-level martial arts, even though he had a deep understanding of these martial arts with the help of his diary, even though he possessed the body of a war god,

facing Lekong, who was almost a Grandmaster, Ye Xiu would still find it difficult.

In fact, if he actually engaged Lekong, he might even be injured.

Of course, none of this mattered; what mattered was that Ye Xiu needed to obtain the Heshi Bi as soon as possible.

Currently, a group of masters from various factions were outside, temporarily held back by the monks of Jingnian Zen Monastery.

However, a fight between him and Monk Lekong would undoubtedly create a significant disturbance, alerting those forces. Perhaps the monks from Jingnian Zen Temple, along with those from other factions, would immediately swarm over. Then, Ye Xiu's attempt to reclaim the Heshi Jade and escape safely would be far from easy.

Therefore, Ye Xiu couldn't engage Monk Lekong. He needed to defeat him as quickly as possible, or circumvent him and take the Heshi Jade. However,

defeating Monk Lekong, who possessed combat power nearly comparable to that of a Grandmaster, was clearly unrealistic. As for circumventing Monk Lekong?

Lekong was guarding the brass hall. Even if Ye Xiu could break in, he would undoubtedly be stopped by him upon exit. Circumventing him would be incredibly difficult.

However, these were the only two options available to Ye Xiu.

However, Ye Xiu had a third option: using the Heshi Jade to weaken Monk Lekong.

Especially the current monk Liao Kong, he used the silent meditation to try to break through to the Grandmaster realm, but failed to break through. The true energy in his body ran wild, which made him have a fighting power comparable to that of a Grandmaster.

However, in the current condition of monk Liao Kong, as long as he gets close to the He Shi Bi, the radiation of the He Shi Bi will directly break the balance of the true energy in his body. Not to mention killing him instantly, it will definitely make him lose half his life.

So, when monk Liao Kong attacked Ye Xiu with the power of the Grandmaster realm that he was not very proficient in, Ye Xiu used the Wind God Kick, instantly transforming into countless figures, attacking monk Liao Kong from different directions.

The speed was so fast that the figures left behind seemed completely real, making monk Liao Kong have the illusion that he was being besieged by countless people.

Under normal circumstances, monk Liao Kong would still be able to withstand such an opponent.

However, although Monk Liaokong's strength increased greatly, the surge and turmoil of the true energy in his body made him inevitably become a little clumsy in his operations. Facing Ye Xiu who used the Wind God Kick, his current state was even more relaxed than before he activated the Silent Zen.

Before he could pay attention, Ye Xiu's Wind God Kick had already hit Monk Liaokong's face.

Monk Liaokong threw a punch, and his fist hit Ye Xiu's foot directly.

The punch did not miss, and a hint of joy flashed in Monk Liaokong's eyes. Even though Monk Liaokong himself was knocked back several steps by Ye Xiu's kick, in Monk Liaokong's opinion, his strength was stronger than Ye Xiu. In such a hard fight of fists and feet, he would be the winner in the end.

However, he did not expect that his punch would knock Ye Xiu away, and the direction Ye Xiu flew backwards was the Bronze Hall.

It turned out that when Ye Xiu had just unleashed his Wind God Kick, he had intentionally redirected Monk Kong. Originally, Monk Kong had his back to the Bronze Hall, but after a few rounds of fighting with Ye Xiu, he was unknowingly directed by Ye Xiu to face the Bronze Hall.

Ye Xiu, using Monk Kong's power, leaped towards the Bronze Hall, but Monk Kong was forced back several steps by Ye Xiu's force. By the time he realized something was amiss, Ye Xiu had already rushed inside.

Monk Kong, realizing he had been tricked, paled in anger, and quickly followed him inside.

The moment Ye Xiu had smashed open the Bronze Hall's door, he sensed another strange wave of radiation, causing his inner Qi to surge.

Ye Xiu quickly controlled his Qi, and his immortal Qi quickly adapted to the strange wave. Despite this, Ye Xiu's strength was reduced by 70%, leaving only 30%. But other than that, Ye Xiu experienced no other effects.

Fighting the discomfort of having his strength suppressed by 70%, Ye Xiu quickly rushed into the Brass Hall. He saw an open brass box. Inside, a magnificent jade seal lay.

Rushing to the seal, the closer he got, the more his immortality energy was suppressed.

Ye Xiu quickly picked up the brass box and snapped the lid shut. Instantly, the radiation emitted by the Heshi Bi diminished by 90%, though he could still faintly sense it while holding the brass box.

"Evil thief, put down the Heshi Bi!" Monk Lekong rushed into the Brass Hall and saw Ye Xiu already clutching the brass box. He roared in rage.

Ye Xiu completely ignored Monk Lekong's roar and quickly rushed towards Monk Lekong, or more precisely, the door behind Monk Lekong.

Seeing this, Monk Lekong's eyes flashed with a fierceness, and he took two steps back, standing right between the two brass doors. He wanted to block the doors with his body. If Ye Xiu wanted to leave, he would have to defeat him.

Ye Xiu was not surprised by Monk Lekong's actions. If he were in Monk Lekong's place, he would make the same choice as Monk Lekong.

Facing Monk Lekong, who was guarding the door, Ye Xiu released a sword intent filled with death. He seemed to transform into a sword full of killing intent and rushed towards Monk Lekong.

Monk Lekong's eyes flashed with surprise. He had not expected Ye Xiu to be proficient in so many martial arts. Before, he had mastered the Wind God Leg, which was considered to be superb, and now this sword technique that had cultivated the sword intent.

However, facing this sword energy imbued with annihilation, Monk Liaokong took a deep breath, his inner Qi circulating. His robes swelled, forming into a ball, and his figure suddenly seemed to grow larger and larger.

Then, Monk Liaokong's seemingly pale palms turned bronze, and he struck out fiercely at Ye Xiu.

Just as Ye Xiu reached Monk Liaokong, about to engage him, he suddenly opened the brass box in his hand. The

Heshi Jade instantly leaked out before Ye Xiu and Monk Liaokong.

The moment the Heshi Jade was released into the air, he felt his Qi stagnate for a moment. Even Ye Xiu, who had been mentally prepared, nearly gasped and spat out blood at the sudden change.

Unprepared, Liaokong, who had just gathered all his Qi, activated the Demon Subduing Robe and the Vajra Palm, attempting to strike Ye Xiu dead with a single blow.

Unexpectedly, Ye Xiu simply opened the brass box containing the He's Jade. The He's Jade's radiation instantly penetrated Monk Kong's body.

Even though Monk Kong had been around the He's Jade for some time, and had developed a modicum of resistance compared to ordinary people,

the suddenness of the attack had caught him completely off guard.

Furthermore, Monk Kong was fully energizing his inner Qi, and the He's Jade's radiation caused it to surge, instantly damaging his meridians.

Furthermore, Monk Kong was still in the process of unleashing the effects of decades of silent meditation, making his Qi unstable and difficult to control.

A single attack could have been manageable for Monk Kong, but two combined would have left him severely injured and bleeding.

Now, all three combined, his meridians were completely ruptured, and his internal organs were severely damaged by the Qi shockwaves.

With a spit of blood, Monk Kong collapsed to the ground. Though not yet dead, he was nearly there.

Ye Xiu observed Monk Kong's expression and knew he was almost dead. Even if he didn't, his martial arts skills would likely be wasted, or even if he managed to, he would become a sickly person. He

quickly replaced the brass lid, shielding the Heshi Bi's radiation by 90% once again.

Grasping the brass box, Ye Xiu sprinted towards Jingnian Monastery.

He had just dispatched the four Dharma protectors of Jingnian Monastery and the abbot, Monk Kong. It seemed tedious, but in reality, the process was incredibly quick.

All in all, it took only about ten breaths.

There was plenty of time. Even if someone in the front yard heard the noise and tried to run over, they wouldn't have had time.

Ye Xiu had no intention of leaving the front yard, instead scaling the wall in the backyard.

The moment he scaled the wall, he felt a chill on his back, his pores constricting, and goosebumps formed again.

This time, however, Ye Xiu had no time to react before the opponent's attack was already upon him.

The attacker who had attacked Ye Xiu was incredibly powerful, stronger than Ye Xiu, even stronger than the person who had just temporarily attained Grandmaster status. He was at least a Grandmaster, not even a beginner. Yet

, despite his immense power, he chose to sneak up on Ye Xiu instead of engaging him head-on.

Furthermore, his attack happened just as Ye Xiu had climbed over the wall of Jingnian Zen Monastery, having just left the academy and was feeling relaxed.

These factors combined made it impossible for Ye Xiu to avoid the attack.

Ye Xiu didn't even have time to reopen the brass box before the opponent's attack was about to land on him.

Bang—

just as Ye Xiu was about to be struck, a figure stepped in front of him and

exchanged blows with the attacker .

After the exchange of blows, the two retreated a few steps, seemingly evenly matched.

After the two men stood still, Ye Xiu finally got a clear look at the attacker.

He was also a monk. He

was about forty or fifty years old, with a stern face and a sturdy build, the epitome of a tough guy.

He clearly didn't look like a good guy, but he certainly wasn't the type to launch a sneak attack. Yet, he resorted to a sneak attack against someone weaker than Ye Xiu.

The person who had just stopped the monk made Ye Xiu's eyes light up!

She looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, with bright eyes and white teeth, and was incredibly beautiful.

Of course, that wasn't the key point; the key was that Ye Xiu recognized her.

She was none other than Wu Xingyun

, the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountains. Ye Xiu hadn't expected Wu Xingyun to come to his rescue in his moment of crisis.

Ye Xiu suspected that the Child-Grandmother had been secretly following him, protecting him.

Only in this way could the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain appear in such a timely manner and save him.

Ye Xiu had initially concealed the news of his plan to obtain the Heshi Bi from the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain, not wanting her to reveal it. However, the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain didn't care at all and directly protected Ye Xiu in secret.

This touched Ye Xiu's heart. At the same time, his favorable impression of the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain began to grow.

"Ye boy, this man is quite powerful. He might have already reached the level of a Celestial Grandmaster. I can barely hold him back for a while. You should leave quickly." The Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain stared at the monk while secretly using her Qi to transmit her voice.

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiu was already thinking, "Celestial Grandmaster?"

To be honest, although Ye Xiu was being targeted by Pang Ban, who was also in the Celestial Realm, he had also met Zhang Sanfeng, who was also in the Celestial Realm.

However, this was the first time Ye Xiu had seen a Celestial Grandmaster, a realm below Celestial Realm.

When Ye Xiu heard Tianshan Tonglao mention this man as a Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena, he knew that Tianshan Tonglao was probably no match for this man.

Even though Tianshan Tonglao was helping him, Ye Xiu had no intention of stopping and saying something like, "If you don't leave, I won't leave either."

Ye Xiu knew that the most important thing right now was to flee quickly. Only if he left would the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan have a chance to escape. However,

Ye Xiu wasn't entirely sure whether the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan could escape from Grandmaster Tianxiang.

He didn't have time to think about how he would avenge the Child-Grandmother if she failed or was killed. He simply turned and ran, even using his Wind God Kick technique to its fullest potential. He transformed into a wisp of wind and vanished instantly. With such speed, even the average Grandmaster couldn't catch up.

"Amitabha, I didn't expect this donor's Light Kung Fu to be so advanced? He just fought Luo Kong and didn't even use his full strength." The monk saw Ye Xiu disappear, and with the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan watching closely, determined to stop him, he simply didn't give in.

"Monk, I'm afraid you're not a monk from Jingnian Temple, right?" Tianshan Tonglao didn't know why the other party didn't chase Ye Xiu, and she breathed a sigh of relief, saying this at the same time.

"I, Huiming, am indeed not from Jingnian Temple. I only came here to take the Heshi Bi as commissioned, but I didn't expect that the Heshi Bi would be snatched away by this person in advance. Amitābha, it seems that my mission this time has failed." Monk Huiming shook his head and said.

Tianshan Tonglao couldn't help but frown at the monk. She didn't quite understand what the monk was thinking.

In fact, with the monk's strength, if he really attacked Ye Xiu, Tianshan Tonglao would not have had time to react. After all, the monk was a Grandmaster of Tianxiang, while Tianshan Tonglao was only a Grandmaster of Zhixuan. The two were at different realms.

But just before Monk Huiming made his next move, he deliberately leaked a trace of his aura, which was noticed by the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain. This allowed the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain to appear in time and block Monk Huiming's sneak attack on Ye Xiu.

Now, Monk Huiming almost watched Ye Xiu leave. Although it seemed that the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain was trying to stop him, in reality, it was as if Monk Huiming himself did not want to chase him at all.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain, every move of Monk Huiming was sneaky and strange, making it impossible to guess what he was trying to do.

Moreover, with so many people chasing after the Heshi Bi, did Monk Huiming really not care at all? Did he just watch Ye Xiu leave with the Heshi Bi?

If Ye Xiu had not never let go of the brass box in his hand, the Child-Grandmother of Tianshan Mountain would have suspected that the Heshi Bi was fake.