Chapter 91: Master and Disciple Both Slain

Jingchen was moving in the direction of the Child-Giving Temple.

The three-way battle just now had ultimately ended with the Mountain Lord’s defeat and retreat.

With the Mountain Lord’s strength, although it was difficult for him to defeat Jingchen and Wuzhen together, leaving freely was still quite easy.

However, that bald monk who had joined midway had directly chased after the Mountain Lord, looking as if he hated him deeply.

Jingchen did not follow. He did not believe that in such a hasty clash, the Mountain Lord would die so easily at their hands. Being able to temporarily drive him off was already a good harvest.

If Wuzhen had not made that mistake just now, allowing the Mountain Lord to seize him, perhaps there would still have been some hope.

At this thought, Jingchen clenched his teeth.

It was one thing for Wuzhen to make a mistake himself, but he had even refused to hand over the authority to use the Golden Circlet. Was he so worried that Jingchen would discard him after use?

Wuzhen’s clean departure even made suspicion arise in Jingchen’s heart:

Could it be that Wuzhen had seen that the wielder of the Silver-Ringed Blade was also a skilled fighter, and feared that with another helper at his side, Jingchen would no longer need him once they seized the Purple Crystal Dragon Ore from the Mountain Lord, so he struck in secret to take back the Golden Circlet?

If his own disciple truly thought this way of him, if Wuzhen truly guarded against him like this…

Jingchen let out a long sigh.

That could only mean his disciple ultimately understood him better after all.

Jingchen shook his head.

No matter what, since they had not managed to kill the Mountain Lord, and since that man with the Silver-Ringed Blade was not a long-term partner, in the end he still had to join hands with Wuzhen.

At worst, he could simply gift the Golden Circlet to Wuzhen, to eliminate his disciple’s wariness.

Ten li of Purple Crystal Dragon Ore was not something a single Golden Circlet could compare to.

If he could take the ore with a Seed-Bag and bring it back, his position in White Horse Temple would rise even higher.

Jingchen’s heart burned hot.

At that moment, Jingchen felt a premonition:

“Who is it?”

A moment later, a massive head emerged from the dense forest.

Jingchen extended his right hand:

“Amitabha, may I know who this benefactor is?”

Mo Lin raised his head:

“Earth Anaconda Mo Lin, here to assist Master Jingchen and Abbot Wuzhen’s reunion.”

Indeed, the one who appeared before Jingchen was Mo Lin, who had just refined the Golden Circlet and devoured Wuzhen.

Without even reaching the battlefield, Mo Lin had already seen Jingchen heading toward the Child-Giving Temple, and thus guessed that their fight must have come to an end.

Judging from Jingchen’s injuries, it seemed to have ended with deliberate restraint.

Jingchen looked at the suddenly appearing Mo Lin, along with his strange words, and his body tensed slightly:

“Wuzhen? What have you done to Wuzhen?”

Mo Lin leisurely replied:

“Nothing much. I simply performed a little trick for Abbot Wuzhen.”

“I swallowed the Golden Circlet into my belly, but Abbot Wuzhen did not believe my performance, so he insisted on seeing it with his own eyes.”

“But once the Golden Circlet was in my stomach, the performance was over. Abbot Wuzhen’s unreasonable fuss left me quite troubled, so I had no choice but to let him personally experience my performance.”

Jingchen’s pupils shrank.

What did that mean!

According to this anaconda demon, after Wuzhen returned with the Golden Circlet, he was refined by it?

Even the Golden Circlet itself had been devoured along with him?

Though Jingchen was furious, he could feel the aura Mo Lin “unintentionally” released. It was unmistakably that of a genuine Earth-Rank Demonic Beast.

Thus, Jingchen suppressed his anger:

“Since my disciple was fond of watching performances, then I’ll trouble the benefactor. I myself do not enjoy performances, so I shall be on my way.”

Having said so, Jingchen immediately rose into the air, intending to flee from Mo Lin.

However, just as he ascended, he suddenly felt as if a thousand jin had been laid upon him, and he fell heavily back to the ground.

Even after hearing of Wuzhen’s death, Jingchen had still managed to keep his composure—but now, he finally could not help but cry out:

“Spatial Imprisonment?! Isn’t this the advanced ability of the Golden Circlet? How do you know this technique?”

Mo Lin smiled faintly:

“After Abbot Wuzhen lent me the Golden Circlet for my performance, under its influence I happened to gain sudden insight.”

“However, I feel that my understanding still has flaws. Thus, I came specifically to find Master Jingchen, hoping you could help me perfect this method. At the same time, to reunite you with your disciple. Truly, two joys at once.”

Two joys at once?

It was more like two meals at once!

Jingchen cursed in his heart.

He rolled up his monk’s robe and looked solemnly at Mo Lin.

Since Mo Lin had already used Spatial Imprisonment, he clearly would not let him leave.

Although Jingchen’s body had not suffered heavy wounds in his battle with the Mountain Lord, his magic power had been greatly depleted. Now, facing Mo Lin, an Earth Anaconda, it was bound to be a life-and-death battle.

Jingchen decided to strike first.

“Great Brahma Primal Palm!”

“It seems Master Jingchen and Abbot Wuzhen truly shared deep bonds as master and disciple, so eager are you to see your student again.”

Mo Lin spread his wings, effortlessly evading Jingchen’s palm strike.

Jingchen, seeing the wings sprouting from Mo Lin’s back, was stunned:

“Yinglong…”

Of course, he knew Mo Lin was only an Earth Anaconda, and could never be the legendary Yinglong. But he simply could not comprehend—how could an Earth Anaconda possess wings?

Mo Lin had no interest in solving his doubts, and once again unleashed Spatial Imprisonment.

As he felt the space on all sides pressing against him as though tangible, Jingchen’s face turned bitter.

This was supposed to belong to White Horse Temple, yet now it was being used against him by a mere anaconda demon.

Had he known, perhaps he should never have believed Wuzhen’s lies. Instead of coveting the Mountain Lord’s Purple Crystal Dragon Ore, he should have simply killed Wuzhen at the start and returned the Golden Circlet directly to White Horse Temple.

Unfortunately, there was no chance for regret.

Though he braced himself to fight Mo Lin for several exchanges, without the ability of flight, with Mo Lin holding total control of the skies, and with his body inferior to the demon’s, not to mention his magic already greatly consumed, he was no match for the well-prepared Mo Lin.

Even more crucially, although Mo Lin’s Spatial Imprisonment could not completely bind Jingchen, it was enough to cut off his chance of escape.

In every way, Jingchen was firmly restrained by Mo Lin.

From the very beginning, this battle’s outcome had been inevitable.

“Thud.”

A badly battered corpse silently fell to the ground—it was Jingchen, after being entangled in Mo Lin’s grapple, unable to break free, and strangled to death.

Mo Lin’s face lit up with joy.

Against Earth-Rank experts like Jingchen, his former ranged tricks such as the Mouth-Coin were nearly useless, forcing him to once again rely on his physical body in combat.

But the ability of Spatial Imprisonment made up for this shortcoming, giving him a powerful means of restraining opponents.

It was worth noting that Jingchen was the first Earth-Rank expert Mo Lin had ever killed.

……

Meanwhile, as Mo Lin successively dealt with master and disciple, in the Western Regions, at White Horse Temple.

A young novice monk was, as usual, sweeping the dust from the floor.

“Hm?”

The young monk raised his head in puzzlement, gazing at the row of life-lamps before him.

These lamps were tied to the lives of White Horse Temple’s eminent monks.

Once a venerable monk passed into nirvana, the lamp linked to him would extinguish.

And now, before the novice’s eyes, the lamp inscribed with the name “Jingchen” silently went out, without a single breath of wind.