Legend of the Great Sage

Who are you exactly?” However, the Divine Nun of the South Sea refused to answer him, asking sternly.

Xiao An opened her mouth, but she faltered.
An apologetic and pained expression appeared on her face, but when she met the Divine Nun of the South Sea’s eyes, the expression melted away like snow.
She recovered the same expressionless demeanour as before.
She knew it was useless no matter what explanation she offered up.

At most, Ye Duanhai sensed it to be an evil art, a demonic art, but as one of the few great cultivators of buddhism in the world, the Divine Nun of the South Sea definitely sensed the perversion and blasphemy of the buddhist dharma.
It was probably even more despicable than the demonfolk who inverted good and bad and confused wrong for right.
Demonfolk were merely enemies, but she was a traitor of buddhism, just like the White Bone Bodhisattva.

“Very well! You sure have hidden it well! Despite all the years we spent together, I actually failed to see your true colours.
I even wanted to accept you as my successor!”

The Divine Nun of the South Sea laughed out of anger, feeling even more heartbroken.
She had not appeared here out of coincidence.
Instead, she had been specially searching for Xiao An.
She had been busy with suppressing the demon plague during the past two years, but she still showed great care and concern towards this disciple.
She had gone to Savage mountain to find her as soon as she had the time.
Although she had been one step too late, she still managed to find her through the preceptual decree she had bestowed to Xiao An.

This was something akin to the prayer beads that the Unraging monk had given to Li Qingshan.
Not only could it be used to call for help, but it could also save her life.
It could unleash an attack equivalent to her “Dharmagupta-vinaya, Law of Vinaya” at full strength.
Even against opponents of the third heavenly tribulation, it could stop them momentarily so that she could rush over in time to save her.

As Xiao An wanted to study the buddhist dharma with the Divine Nun of the South Sea, she was obviously forced to accept it, or let her remove it whenever she wanted to.
However, she never expected her to appear right now.
After all, no matter how meticulous her thoughts were, it was impossible for her to include everything in her calculations, let alone the fact that the Divine Nun of the South Sea was a great cultivator too.

“Please calm down, master.
Xiao An never intended it either…”

Li Qingshan shrugged.
There were no secrets that could remain hidden forever, especially when it was their powers.
Just several years ago, his identity as a daemon was still a closely-guarded secret, but now, it had already been leaked everywhere.
A whole bunch of people knew.
The form of white bones beneath Xiao An’s great beauty was no different.

However, he did not find this to be a particularly large matter either.
Xiao An had not been using innocent mortals for cultivation after all, and they had truly been purging demons for the greater good earlier.
However, he discovered very soon that he had still ended up underestimating figures of religion.

“Shut your mouth! Li Qingshan, it’s been so many years, so do you still think I know nothing? The Green province isn’t the Mist province.
It’s even more unlikely for the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga to accept a daemon as a disciple.
Even the Golden Cicada Spirit King had been expelled in the past, let alone you!”

“Thank you for keeping my secret, divine nun!” Li Qingshan clasped his hands.

“If it weren’t for the sake of… of… sigh!”

The Divine Nun of the South Sea lamented.
Originally, she wanted to say it was for the sake of Xiao An, but it touched her sore spot again.
She had wandered the South sea for all these years.
If it were not for Xiao An, if she had not been considering how she could accept her as her disciple, she would have never paid any attention to the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga thousands of kilometers away either.

Although she had noticed something was amiss with Li Qingshan’s identity, she did not find the bloodline of daemons to be so unacceptable, as she was born and raised in the Mist province.
After all, even the bodhisattvas of the Western Paradise had daemons as mounts.
Converting to buddhism was something good.

“You can keep a secret for a daemon like me, master, whereas Xiao An counts as a proper disciple of buddhism.
Even if she has practised a demonic art slightly, she’s still good at heart.
You saw us kill a Demon King just now!”

Li Qingshan defended Xiao An to the best of his ability.
It was not because he was afraid of the Divine Nun of the South Sea, but because he felt very embarrassed.
After all, the Divine Nun of the South Sea had always treated Xiao An quite well.
Treating Xiao An well was treating him well.
As someone who kept clear tabs on his debts, he did not want to fall out with someone that he owed a debt of gratitude to you.

“Shut your mouth! Do not mention the words ‘disciple of buddhism’ again! Buddhism may be vast, but it does not have a disciple like her!” The Divine Nun of the South Sea pointed straight at Xiao An, becoming even more stern.
The pressure she gave off even made Li Qingshan’s breathing halt.
It was not just power, but also the spirit as a successor of laws and decrees.

“Can you be reasonable or not? It’s our fault for lying to you, but we also have our difficulties.
Isn’t killing a dozen or so Demon Kings and saving a few million lives enough to make up for it?”

“Qingshan, there’s no need to say anything more,” Xiao An said calmly, but what she implied made Li Qingshan frown heavily.