SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The sharp sound of blades unsheathing tore through the air, accompanied by the hum of bowstrings being drawn taut. A murderous aura instantly filled the space before Shuimuyue Nunnery.

Countless chilling arrowheads were precisely locked onto every nun present. It seemed that with a single command from Chen Sheng, this sacred ground of the Buddhist Sect would be turned into an Asura’s slaughterhouse.

"Wait! Do not attack!"

Seeing their menacing aura, completely unmoved by her words, Nun Jing’an hurriedly shouted, "I must inform you, Sir, that the agreement I made with Governor Sun was personally witnessed and mediated by Master Xuanbei of Golden Spring Temple. Since you are here to fulfill that agreement, you must abide by the rules. How can you resort to force so suddenly?"

She then took a deep breath, stepping aside to reveal a pretty young nun behind her, and continued:

"As long as you, Sir, can defeat this disciple of mine, Miaoyu, using an orthodox Buddhist Cultivation Technique, I will willingly return with you to the Jingwu Bureau, without another word."

"Yes, Master."

The young nun named Miaoyu stepped forward in response. Her expression was grave, and her clear eyes stared directly at Chen Sheng. Innate True Qi was already circulating silently within her, her aura coiled but not yet unleashed.

The surrounding Jingwu Guards did not relax in the slightest at these words. All eyes remained fixed on Chen Sheng, waiting only for his command.

Chen Sheng’s gaze swept imperceptibly over the deep entrance of Shuimuyue Nunnery, as if it could pierce through its many halls and glimpse the secrets hidden within.

Then, with a cold snort, his figure flashed. In the next moment, a brilliant golden light erupted from his body. A solid, ancient, phantom Golden Bell materialized, encasing him completely, its surface faintly shimmering with flowing runes.

"Make your move."

Chen Sheng’s tone was flat, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

Miaoyu, seeing this, dared not hesitate. With a sharp cry, she pushed her True Qi to its absolute peak.

Her figure moved like lightning, leaving an afterimage as she struck. Wielding fierce Innate True Qi, she aimed straight for Chen Sheng’s torso. Her fingers and palms flew, unleashing all of Shuimuyue Nunnery’s ultimate techniques. Her True Qi howled, her power astonishing.

However, at the very same instant Miaoyu attacked, Nun Jing’an made a completely different choice—she shot backward in a hasty retreat, not hesitating for a second.

Initially, she had held on to a sliver of hope for Miaoyu. This was, after all, the successor she had poured her heart and soul into training. According to their agreement, the person sent by Sun Yuzhi had to use a Buddhist Cultivation Technique. Nun Jing’an had gambled that even if their opponent’s Cultivation was profound, he might not be proficient in Buddhist techniques, which could give her some room to maneuver.

But when she saw the incredibly condensed phantom Golden Bell around Chen Sheng, its surface faintly shimmering with Sanskrit characters, all of her schemes instantly turned to ash.

The Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique!

It was a renowned divine protection technique of the Buddhist Sect. The requirements to cultivate it were exceedingly harsh, but once mastered, its defensive power was considered peerless within the same realm.

Miaoyu stood no chance!

The instinct for survival overrode everything else. ’I have to escape! Right now!’

’Only by reaching the one hidden deep within the nunnery will I have a chance to live.’

Sure enough, the battle unfolded just as Nun Jing’an had predicted.

Miaoyu’s seemingly unstoppable barrage of attacks struck the phantom Golden Bell but failed to create even a single ripple before dissipating without a trace.

Chen Sheng hadn’t even moved his feet. Just as the barrage of palm strikes was about to land, his body flickered. He reappeared before Miaoyu like a phantom. A hand glowing with a faint golden light struck faster than her own attack, accurately closing around her pale neck.

"Ugh..."

Miaoyu’s eyes widened, filled with horror and disbelief.

Chen Sheng’s expression was cold, without a hint of pity for the beautiful woman. His fingers tightened abruptly.

CRACK!

With the crisp sound of a snapping neck bone, the light in Miaoyu’s eyes instantly faded, and her delicate body slumped.

Chen Sheng casually tossed the still-warm corpse aside.

With his current level of Cultivation, he was hard-pressed to find a worthy opponent below the Earth Fiend Realm. A mere Innate Disciple from Shuimuyue Nunnery was not even worth his time.

"Kill!"

Without a second glance at the body on the ground, Chen Sheng raised his hand and gave the order, his voice bone-chillingly cold.

The Jingwu Guards, already poised to strike, moved at his command. In an instant, crossbows thrummed, and arrows flew like a plague of locusts. A dense volley descended with a piercing shriek, blanketing the disciples of Shuimuyue Nunnery, who were panicking from their master’s escape and their martial sister’s brutal death.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

The sounds of flesh being pierced mingled with dying screams. The nuns fell in swathes like harvested wheat. In an instant, blood stained the flagstones red, and the thick stench of gore filled the air.

The two Peacekeeper Envoys, Lu Cheng and Zhao Changqiu, were like tigers loosed upon a flock of sheep. With every flash of their blades, a nun fell. Their methods were ruthless and brutally efficient.

However, Chen Sheng did not immediately pursue Nun Jing’an, who had already fled deep into Shuimuyue Nunnery. Instead, he stood his ground, his gaze profound as he stared into the depths of the sanctuary, where fires were beginning to blaze and black smoke was billowing.

Long before, when he had planned this operation with Sun Yuzhi, the Celestial Book’s "Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil" feature in his mind had already given him a clear warning.

"My name is Chen Sheng. By the time you read this, it will be too late for regrets. After finalizing the plan with Vice Envoy Sun, I was so eager to obtain the Blood Spirit Jade Marrow that I immediately led my men to Shuimuyue Nunnery.

The disciple they sent out was no match for me; I subdued her easily. However, that old nun Jing’an had an ace up her sleeve. The moment she saw things turning against her, she fled back into the depths of Shuimuyue Nunnery.

With so much merit on the line, I naturally couldn’t let her escape. But what I never expected was that a Profound Gang Realm expert from the Blood River Sect was lying in wait inside Shuimuyue Nunnery, already hidden there by the time my troops and I arrived.