Long Wu clutched his throat with both hands, his pupils wide with disbelief as he stared at Ye Qiu.
“You… you…”
He hadn’t expected to meet such an end before even using his trump card.
Even more unexpected was that Ye Qiu had mastered the Six Meridians Divine Sword of the Heavenly Dragon Temple.
“If I had used my strongest trump card from the start, I wouldn’t have lost so easily. Even if I died, I would’ve taken this kid down with me.”
Long Wu felt deeply aggrieved.
Ye Qiu said calmly, “Didn’t you want to know about my background? Now I’ll tell you—Ye Wushuang is my father.”
So he really is Ye Wushuang’s son!
A fierce killing intent flashed in Long Wu’s eyes. Even on the brink of death, he still wanted to kill Ye Qiu.
Gathering all his remaining strength, he took two steps forward, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Blood gushed endlessly from his throat as his body convulsed.
Ye Qiu walked up to Long Wu and said, “You should feel happy now, because you’ll soon meet Long Jiu and Long Liu.”
“And it won’t be long before you see your other brothers.”
“I’ll send them all down to keep you company.”
Long Wu struggled to lift his head, grinding his teeth as he said, “Ye… Ye Qiu… even as a ghost… I won’t let you go!”
Ye Qiu stomped down hard, crushing Long Wu’s head underfoot.
Splat!
Blood splattered everywhere.
Long Wu’s head was flattened by Ye Qiu’s foot.
“I’m not even afraid of you alive, so why would I fear you as a ghost?”
Ye Qiu snorted coldly, glancing back at the Enlightenment Tower, where he saw the divine monk Kong Jian and Master Du’e sitting on the fourth floor.
He hurriedly rushed to the fourth floor.
“Divine Monk…” Ye Qiu called out upon reaching the fourth floor of the Enlightenment Tower.
There was no response. Kong Jian sat motionless.
Ye Qiu’s heart tightened. He quickly stepped behind Kong Jian and called again, “Divine Monk…”
“Master has already gone to the Western Pure Land,” Master Du’e said calmly, turning his head.
Ye Qiu’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “If it weren’t for me, the Divine Monk wouldn’t have left so soon. It’s all my fault.”
“Benefactor Ye, don’t blame yourself. Master’s time was near. Even if he hadn’t passed his power to you, he wouldn’t have lasted much longer.”
Master Du’e glanced at Kong Jian and said, “There’s a smile on Master’s face, which means he passed away content.”
“He witnessed the power of the Six Meridians Divine Sword in his final moments and had no regrets.”
“Oh, by the way, this is Master’s last message.”
Master Du’e pointed to the ground.
Ye Qiu looked down and saw two sentences written on the ground beside Kong Jian.
“I came from the void, and to the void I return!”
Master Du’e said, “Master was the former abbot of our Heavenly Dragon Temple and once served as the president of the Buddhist Association. His understanding of Buddhism was profound, and having lived for a century, he held great prestige in the Buddhist community and had many followers.”
“Before Master passed, he told me that after his death, I should scatter his ashes into the void and not disturb others.”
“Also, Master asked me to pass on a request to Benefactor Ye.”
Ye Qiu said, “Please tell me, Master.”
Master Du’e said, “Master would like Benefactor Ye to help carve a spirit tablet for him and place it on the first floor of the Enlightenment Tower.”
Ye Qiu agreed immediately, “Alright!”
To him, Kong Jian was not only a great monk but also his benefactor.
Master Du’e said, “Benefactor Ye, I’d like to spend some time with Master. Please don’t disturb us.”
Ye Qiu nodded slightly and turned to leave.
At that moment, Master Du’e added, “Master also left a gift for Benefactor Ye, placed on the beam of the seventh floor of the Enlightenment Tower. Go retrieve it quickly!”
Hearing this, Ye Qiu grew curious.
What gift had the Divine Monk left for him?
He went to the seventh floor of the Enlightenment Tower.
Looking up, he saw a square iron box hanging from the beam by a rope.
Ye Qiu raised his hand, unleashing a burst of sword qi to cut the rope. The iron box fell, and he caught it with one hand.
Ye Qiu placed the iron box on the ground and gently opened it. Inside, he saw a neatly folded, bright yellow kasaya.
The kasaya was old, clearly having seen many years.
Hmm?
Ye Qiu was somewhat surprised.
“What does it mean for the Divine Monk to give me a kasaya?”
“Is he suggesting I become a monk?”
“Surely not?”
Puzzled, Ye Qiu took the kasaya out of the iron box.
He glanced inside again.
There was nothing else in the iron box.
Ye Qiu shook out the kasaya and noticed that its back was covered in text and some diagrams.
He spread the kasaya out and carefully read the text and examined the diagrams, his face instantly filled with shock.
“The Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique!”
Ye Qiu never would have imagined that this kasaya contained the cultivation method for the Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique.
“Divine Monk, oh Divine Monk, how can I ever repay your immense kindness?”
Ye Qiu was deeply moved.
Immediately, he began practicing the Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique according to the method on the kasaya.
Three hours later.
Ye Qiu had mastered the Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique. He placed the kasaya back in the iron box, then carried the box to the fourth floor of the Enlightenment Tower.
Kong Jian and Master Du’e were still sitting side by side as before.
Thud!
Ye Qiu knelt behind Kong Jian, adjusted his robes, and said solemnly, “The Divine Monk’s great kindness is beyond repayment. I vow that, in my lifetime, I will protect the Heavenly Dragon Temple.”
Then, Ye Qiu kowtowed three times to Kong Jian.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Master Du’e stood and helped Ye Qiu to his feet, pressing his palms together. “Amitabha, Benefactor Ye, this is all your destiny. There’s no need for thanks.”
Ye Qiu shook his head and said, “If it weren’t for the Divine Monk’s help, I might have died at Long Wu’s hands today. I’m alive because of the Divine Monk’s gifts.”
“Not only did the Divine Monk pass his century of inner strength to me, but he also gave me the cultivation method for the Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique.”
“I can never repay the Divine Monk’s kindness in this lifetime.”
Ye Qiu handed the iron box to Master Du’e and said, “Master, please take this back.”
Master Du’e asked, “Has Benefactor Ye learned the Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique?”
“Yes.” Ye Qiu nodded.
Master Du’e marveled, “Benefactor Ye’s martial arts talent is truly astonishing.”
“Many years ago, Master chanced upon the Second Form of the Grass Sword Technique on a stone carving and recorded it on the kasaya. After bringing it back, Master and I studied it together and found the sword technique’s power too immense, so neither of us comprehended it.”
“Benefactor Ye, if you don’t mind, you can keep Master’s kasaya as a memento!”
“Thank you, Master,” Ye Qiu said gratefully.
“There’s no need for thanks, Benefactor Ye. Now I must attend to Master’s final affairs.”
With that, Master Du’e carried Kong Jian’s body and descended the tower.
