Fang Xiu could afford to gamble, but Kong Jian could not.
Fang Xiu was also testing Kong Jian's abilities during this trip to Mount Ling. If a sixth-level expert was nothing special, then he would kill the abbot, level Mount Ling, and devour his spiritual essence.
But since a sixth-tier expert is so terrifying, he has to change his approach and use Ling Mountain to command the abbot.
Destroying Spirit Mountain is not difficult, but killing a sixth-tier expert is very difficult. With his current methods, unless the sixth-tier expert abandons his defense and allows him to attack, he can only kill him by unleashing the power of pain. Otherwise, even if he uses all his trump cards, he can only use Kong Jian's weakness to force him to submit.
Moreover, once Mount Ling is destroyed, it is conceivable that a sixth-tier powerhouse blinded by rage will be gained. At that time, Kong Jian will definitely go on a killing spree at headquarters.
This mutually destructive situation is not what Fang Xiu wants to see. He still needs to launch a counterattack on the other side in the future, and he cannot do without the support of the headquarters.
He wants both the headquarters and the Buddhist temple.
The two continued on their way and soon arrived at the protective array of Mount Ling. Kong Jian looked at Fang Xiu's back with a flicker in his eyes. Just now, he clearly felt that the spiritual energy in Fang Xiu's body seemed to have been exhausted.
Could it be that... this kid was just bluffing all along? Was it because his spiritual energy was exhausted that he withdrew the female ghost?
Upon realizing this, Kong Jian's heart stirred again. If Fang Xiu's spirituality was truly exhausted, it would mean that this was the best time to kill him, as he could no longer maintain that strange, unassailable state.
But seeing Fang Xiu swaggering towards Mount Ling with such a nonchalant attitude, Kong Jian began to doubt his own judgment, making him hesitate.
He wanted to test the waters.
Seeing Fang Xiu walk to the mountain-protecting array, Kong Jian deliberately did not release the barrier that suppressed the power of the demons. If Fang Xiu still had his spirituality, he could easily enter the spiritual mountain like that female demon, without being blocked by the power of the demons.
But! If Fang Xiu can't get in, wouldn't that mean his spiritual energy is exhausted?
Just as Kong Jian was staring intently at Fang Xiu's back, the next second, a scene that almost made his eyes pop out appeared.
As Fang Xiu approached the mountain-protecting array, the crimson light barrier composed of the power to suppress evil spirits spontaneously opened a passage taller than a person, allowing Fang Xiu to enter.
What! ?
Kong Jian was shocked, thinking that the power of the forbidden demons had gone out of control, but after trying it, he found that this was not the case.
In an instant, a storm of shock surged through his mind. What kind of method was this?!
In his mind, there were only two possibilities: either Fang Xiu would exhaust his spiritual energy and be blocked outside the mountain-protecting formation, or Fang Xiu would still have spiritual energy and use that invincible state to enter the mountain-protecting formation.
But to his utter surprise, the mountain-protecting formation actually took the initiative to let Fang Xiu in. This was simply unbelievable. This was the power of a seventh-order forbidden demon. How could a fourth-order demon influence a seventh-order demon?
At this moment, Fang Xiu stopped, turned around and glanced at Kong Jian. His eyes, as calm as still water, revealed no emotion. He said indifferently, "Master Kong Jian, are you perhaps going to back out?"
Kong Jian felt a chill run down his spine as he was stared at by those dark eyes, as if he were walking on the edge of an abyss. He became increasingly uncertain about Fang Xiu's strength and forced a smile, saying, "Amitabha, a monk does not lie."
Fang Xiu nodded calmly: "Lead the way."
Kongjian didn't waste any words and politely led the way.
Fang Xiu was well aware of Kong Jian's probing intentions. The mountain-protecting formation was no match for him, who possessed the Heart of Forbidden Ghosts. After all, the two originated from the same source, and the power of the Heart of Forbidden Ghosts was even greater than that of the other limbs of Forbidden Ghosts.
The reason he had Kongjian lead the way was to prevent the other party from testing him again, since his spirituality had truly run out.
However, Fang Xiu remained calm, knowing that once he reached the spatial node, his spirituality would be limitless.
This is why he chose to go to the Great Thunder Temple to discuss compensation with Kongjian.
In the present world, emptiness is no longer effective; at spatial nodes, emptiness is even less effective.
Soon, led by Kongjian, the two entered the Great Thunder Temple.
Upon entering the Great Thunderclap Temple, Fang Xiu frowned. The temple was filled with ancient Buddha statues and solemn atmosphere, with no trace of any spatial node.
Based on the senses of the Forbidden Ghost Heart, he discovered that the Forbidden Ghost's limbs were still hidden deep within the Great Thunderclap Temple. However, Kongjian did not lead him deeper into the temple, but instead took him to the abbot's room.
Fang Xiu remained calm and followed them into the abbot's room, where the two sat cross-legged on futons.
After finishing, Kongjian asked an unrelated question.
"Has Benefactor Fang ever sat on a Buddhist futon before?"
"No."
"Can you sense anything extraordinary about this futon?"
"No."
Suddenly, Kong Jian smiled. His smile was meaningful, as if he had seen through Fang Xiu's secret: "Benefactor Fang, you may not know this, but this futon is made using a secret Buddhist method. When a person with spirituality sits on it, it can automatically sense it and emit a calming fragrance. However, when a person without spirituality or with too weak a spirituality sits on it, there will be no reaction at all."
Seeing Kong Jian laughing so happily, Fang Xiu also smiled.
"It seems the abbot is planning to die?"
Kong Jian's face immediately darkened, his gaze turning icy: "Fang Xiu, you don't need to bluff. Although I don't know how you influenced the power of the forbidden demons, it still can't hide the fact that your spiritual energy is exhausted. If I'm not mistaken, the reason you want to enter the Great Thunderclap Temple is probably for the spatial node, right?"
"It's not surprising that you, who can control the Taotie projection, possess the Taotie's devouring power. You seem to be forcing me to admit defeat, but in reality, you've exhausted your own spiritual energy and are trying to trick me into taking you to a spatial node to recover it, isn't that right?"
Kong Jian truly lived up to his reputation as a sixth-tier expert; he was incredibly insightful, seeing through Fang Xiu's intentions with just the slightest clues.
Faced with Kong Jian's blunt revelation, Fang Xiu was quite frank: "That's exactly right."
Fang Xiu's honesty, however, left Kong Jian somewhat bewildered. Normal people would panic when their thoughts were exposed and they faced the prospect of death, but Fang Xiu remained completely calm. His composed demeanor made him seem as if he were at home, and anyone who didn't know better would have mistaken him for a Buddhist abbot.
"Alright, now let's talk about compensation," Fang Xiu continued calmly, as if he wasn't the one whose spiritual energy had been depleted.
Kong Jian was increasingly suspicious, but his face was full of anger: "Benefactor Fang, do you still want to put on a show at this point? Do you think I don't know your plans? You want to delay the time to recover your spirituality? Heh, don't even think about it. The moment you entered the Great Thunderclap Temple, your future was already decided."
However, Fang Xiu shook his head: "Never talk about the future with a prophet, because the future I see is crystal clear. In the future, I will return to headquarters unharmed, while you... and the Buddhist sect will become vassals of headquarters."
"I've already thought of a name: How about 'Xia Kingdom Investigation Bureau Buddhist Office'?"
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