The Dauntless monk hesitated. He wanted to say something, but he hesitated. Little Ann immediately understood. He smiled. "Abbot, do you want to try the power of the Trouble Severing blade too?"
"Yeah. Who doesn't have troubles in life?" The Dauntless monk shook his head with a smile.
Little Ann said nothing more. He swung the blade in a backhand manner, and the hall was illuminated by the blade before rapidly returning to its darkness.
The Dauntless monk brought his palms together and stood where he was, without moving at all.
Only a while later did he open his eyes and praise, "This blade really is wondrous!"
"Come, come, come! There's another one here!"
Li Qingshan placed his hand on the Unraging monk's shoulder and called out to Little Ann.
"I have far too many troubles. I can't cut them down, so it's fine if I don't cut them down! It's just like how people stop itching when they have too many lice, and they stop worrying when they have too many troubles. "The Unraging monk swatted away Li Qingshan's hand and chuckled.
"The master is wise, so you obviously don't need the assistance of an external object like this," said Little Ann.
"I've already called One Lamp over. He's only a step away from the third heavenly tribulation, so he happens to be in need of this blade," said the Dauntless monk.
The Unraging monk did not need it, but the thousands of disciples of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga did. After personally experiencing the wondrous power of the Trouble Severing blade, he had already formed a picture of this in his head. All of the disciples of the monastery would be free of worries, and their cultivation would advance drastically.
"Alright," said Little Ann.
The Dauntless monk mentioned a few more names in thought. They were all renowned figures in the monastery. People would always have some troubles in life, and the troubles of cultivators were not necessarily any less than those of mortals. In particular, mortals could live with their troubles, but cultivators, especially buddhist cultivators, would struggle to advance their cultivation if they could not put an end to their troubles. If their troubles ran too deep, they would turn into inner demons.
The Trouble Severing blade was basically a savior that had descended from the heavens. Even if Little Ann did not inherit the position of abbot, he would still possess an extremely great status as the wielder of the blade, not to mention his startling strength. Standing before the Dauntless monk, he no longer seemed weak at all.
"Senior Brother, worries are Bodhi!"
The Unraging monk said suddenly. If a person had never encountered any troubles since birth, then they definitely did not possess so-called intelligence. If they did not possess intelligence, then even if their troubles were temporarily severed, they would definitely return very soon. It would all be for naught at the end of the day.
"Amitabha, Junior Brother is right. I was too happy."
The Dauntless monk rearranged the list in his head, greatly reducing the number of people on it. He secretly made up his mind that the Trouble Severing blade could only be used to save disciples who were deeply troubled, almost turning into an inner demon.
Before long, the people on the list arrived at the Hall of Great Strength. Li Qingshan noticed that some of them were strong and some were weak, but they all looked miserable. An old monk, in particular, looked like a patient with severe depression. His eyes were sunken, and his face was ashen. In comparison, even the ugly face of One Lamp was more pleasing to the eye.
"Abbot, why did you summon us here?" Monk Yideng asked.
"You've all been plagued by troubles, which has affected your cultivations. One Will just happened to retrieve the sect treasure of our monastery, the Trouble Severing blade. You can give it a try," said the Dauntless monk.
The monks were all excited and surprised. "The Trouble Severing blade!" "Is it really that Trouble Severing blade?" "Didn't it end up in the hands of the Golden Cicada Spirit King?"
Another person asked, "Though, abbot, the Trouble Severing blade is the supreme treasure of our monastery. It won't be that easy to control, right?"
"You don't have to worry. One Will has already undergone the third heavenly tribulation. She'll be conferred the title of 'Monk King' soon."
The hall fell silent. Everyone's gazes gathered on Little Ann. Who did not know what the two words "Monk King" meant?
The Dauntless monk said, "If there's anyone who doesn't want to rely on external objects and wants to resolve their troubles with their own willpower, please take a step back."
A while later, not a single monk took a step back. The Dauntless monk nodded in satisfaction. At least they all knew their limits.
"There's no need for you to feel that relying on external objects is shameful. I've just tested the blade myself, and the Monk King of the Seven Treasures from the Lingguo temple has benefited tremendously too. Although the effects of the Trouble Severing blade are only temporary, as long as you remember the feeling of that split second and maintain a clear mind, it'll definitely bring great benefits to your cultivation!"
As a result, the monks took turns stepping forward to receive Little Ann's strike. Li Qingshan watched on from one side and sighed inside, She really has changed.
… …
On the "left shoulder" of Great Buddha mountain, in a quiet monastery, Li Qingshan pushed open the moon gate and gazed at the rising and falling mountains in the distance. However, he felt rather unsettled inside. Suddenly, he turned around and asked, "You've finished severing them all?"
"Yep." Little Ann stood quietly under the bodhi tree in the courtyard.
"That's good …"
The courtyard suddenly fell silent. Only the moonlight shone down quietly. Li Qingshan organised his words, but he had no idea how to start.
"Qingshan, are you blaming me for changing the plan on my own?"
"I'm not blaming you. You're doing this for my own good. However, we owe the Golden Cicada Spirit King a debt of gratitude. Aren't you biting the hand that fed you? "
Li Qingshan frowned. He had always been a person who kept clear tabs on his debts of gratitude, but Little Ann's plan had sold out the Golden Cicada Spirit King as well. It went against his principles.
Little Ann strolled over to his side and leaned into his arms gently. "Helping the Golden Cicada Spirit King successfully ascend is also part of the plan."
"What do you mean?"
"We have two objectives. The first is to help the Golden Cicada Spirit King, and the second is to kill the Soaring Locust King. However, the Soaring Locust King isn't that easy to kill."
Li Qingshan nodded. A great Daemon King with no bottom line was far too disgusting. "But if the two of us work together, we should have a seventy to eighty percent chance of success."
"No, it's not that high. I'm the greatest variable. The Green province is not the sea. When the Golden Cicada Spirit King undergoes his tribulation, it'll definitely draw the attention of all the great cultivators, and once I unleash the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, the buddhist sects of the world will no longer tolerate me. I'll definitely be treated as a great enemy by the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga. It might even lead to a chaotic battle, but I'm unwilling to kill a single person from the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga."
"And, if the Golden Cicada Spirit King wants to ascend successfully, it's very likely that the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga will be an obstacle only second to the Soaring Locust King. I believe the Dauntless abbot hopes for him to die with the Soaring Locust King the most, so instead of leaving it up to fate, it's better to reduce the number of variables as much as possible."
"I've already told the Dauntless abbot that the Golden Cicada Spirit King is willing to risk failing his ascension to destroy the Soaring Locust King. The Golden Cicada Spirit King has done that in the past, so it won't be difficult for him to convince others. He's also handed over the Affliction Severing blade, so you can treat it as him taking the initiative to make peace. I believe the Dauntless abbot will make the correct choice."
Little Ann's eyes shone with a wise light.
Li Qingshan was immediately rendered speechless. Not only did her plan give them greater confidence in killing the Soaring Locust King, but it also gave the Golden Cicada Spirit King even greater assurance in his ascension. It also did not require them to fight for their lives. And, it was grand and honorable. She did not let down the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga, the Golden Cicada Spirit King, or even him.
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