Undying Life

Chapter 1036: Ba'er Is Safe

Hao Meili paid no attention to Maitreya Buddha's warnings.

Being someone who was never afraid of breaking the rules, why would she let a bald monk stop her from satisfying her curiosity? Especially now that she had someone like Zhong Shan backing her, and considering how close Zhong Shan was with Jieyin, why shouldn't she take a look inside the hall?

"Boom!" Hao Meili pushed open the golden doors with ease.

As the golden doors swung open, a blinding golden light flooded out, momentarily blinding everyone present.

Once their eyes adjusted, they finally saw what was inside. But the interior was nothing like they had imagined. Wasn't this place supposed to be empty?

In the center of the hall, on an altar, sat a young man cross-legged. The man was clad in golden robes, and his appearance was exceedingly handsome and elegant. However, the slight protrusion of his brow revealed a fierce and unyielding character.

"This is bad!" Maitreya Buddha exclaimed in shock.

The others quickly realized what this meant. Could this golden-robed man be the Golden-Winged Roc that Maitreya Buddha had just mentioned? Was this Jinpeng?

As Jinpeng opened his eyes, two beams of golden light shot out, piercing straight through the air.

A wave of murderous intent struck at the hearts of everyone present. The sheer terror of his aura was palpable—just the act of opening his eyes was enough to make hearts tremble.

"Who allowed you to enter? Do you have any idea what this place is?" Jinpeng said in a deep, menacing voice.

Jinpeng's voice was like a blade, stabbing into the hearts of the onlookers. Even Maitreya Buddha turned slightly pale.

This Jinpeng was becoming more formidable with each passing day! In the Great Leiyin Temple, he was perhaps only second to the two Buddhas.

"Well, these guests are esteemed visitors of the Great Leiyin Temple. They thought you were not here, so they—" Maitreya Buddha tried to explain.

"And because I wasn't here, you thought you could just barge in?" Jinpeng's tone grew colder, his fierce gaze sending shivers down Maitreya's spine.

Maitreya Buddha felt a chill wash over him. How could Jinpeng possess such overwhelming murderous intent?

"Are you Jinpeng?" Hao Meili suddenly asked, seemingly unaffected by the oppressive aura.

While Hao Meili appeared unfazed, the others, such as Mr. Corpse and Luo Xingchen, knew all too well how powerful Jinpeng was. Luo Xingchen quickly stepped forward to stand beside Hao Meili.

Jinpeng turned his head, his eyes scanning each person in the room. When his gaze fell on the small golden dragon perched on Hao Meili's shoulder, his eyelid twitched.

"An origin dragon?" Jinpeng's eyes gleamed with a sharp, predatory light.

Maitreya Buddha's face changed. This was bad!

"Randeng, hold off Jinpeng! The Golden-Winged Roc is a rare creature that doesn't eat ordinary food—it only consumes dragons. But Jinpeng's power has grown so much that ordinary dragons no longer satisfy him, which is why he rarely hunts them. However, this small golden dragon is clearly of noble blood. If Jinpeng devours it, we won't be able to answer to Amitabha. Hold him off while I contact Amitabha!" Maitreya Buddha quickly transmitted his thoughts to Randeng.

Randeng, upon hearing this, was equally alarmed.

But Jinpeng was in no mood for reasoning. With a swift movement, he reached out to grab the small golden dragon.

"Boom!"

Randeng managed to block Jinpeng's hand with his treasure, a green lantern, but only just.

The intense shockwave forced everyone to retreat.

"Run! He wants to eat the dragon!" Randeng shouted.

Upon hearing Randeng's words, the Western Poison Emperor, Mr. Corpse, and Nangong Sheng quickly moved to protect Hao Meili and the small golden dragon, retreating at speed, while Luo Xingchen stood his ground in front of them.

"Do you really think you can stop me? Even if Tathagata himself were here, it might not be enough!" Jinpeng sneered coldly.

As Maitreya Buddha hurried off to find Jieyin, Randeng and Luo Xingchen positioned themselves in front of Jinpeng.

"Jinpeng! These are esteemed guests of the Great Leiyin Temple, honored by Amitabha himself. You cannot act recklessly!" Randeng shouted urgently.

But Jinpeng paid no heed to Randeng's words, as his entire focus was locked onto the small golden dragon perched on Hao Meili's shoulder. An origin dragon, a true origin dragon? If he devoured this dragon, his power would undoubtedly surge to new heights.

"Hahaha! I've searched high and low, and now it's delivered right to me! Once I consume this origin dragon, I won't fear that woman anymore!" Jinpeng exclaimed excitedly.

He reached out with his hand once more, this time with significantly more power than before. His speed was overwhelming—so fast that Randeng's green lantern, which had barely blocked the first strike, was now completely outpaced by Jinpeng's enhanced attack.

"Time Reversal!" Luo Xingchen shouted desperately.

Jinpeng's movement faltered slightly, but even with the temporal manipulation, he was now less than a meter away from Hao Meili.

Hao Meili's heart raced as she quickly retreated with the small golden dragon, barely avoiding Jinpeng's grasp.

"You...!" Hao Meili began to curse Jinpeng.

But Jinpeng was already upon her again, even closer than before.

"Time Reversal!" Luo Xingchen called out once more, straining to slow down Jinpeng's advance.

Luo Xingchen had seen enough to know that the beings in the Four Great Continents were far more terrifying than anything he had encountered in the Wheel Domain. How could anyone be this overwhelmingly powerful?

"You?" Jinpeng snarled, his patience wearing thin. Furious at having been thwarted twice, he turned his fierce gaze toward Luo Xingchen.

"Reversal~~~~~~~~~~!" Luo Xingchen dared not hesitate, using his time manipulation ability once more.

But Jinpeng was too formidable. Sensing something was amiss, he immediately merged with the Dao.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

A towering golden Dao shot skyward from Ling Mountain, its power overwhelming. Everyone inside felt immobilized by Jinpeng's ruthless aura, unable to move. Jinpeng's sheer might was truly terrifying.

Randeng stared at Jinpeng in shock, while on the other side, Mr. Corpse had already stepped in front of Hao Meili and the small golden dragon, his face cold and clearly ready with some sort of contingency.

Luo Xingchen, due to his temporal abilities, could still move slightly.

"Today, I'm going to eat that dragon. Even if Tathagata himself comes, he won't be able to stop me!" Jinpeng declared fiercely.

"You dare~~~~~~~~~~~!" A thunderous roar echoed from outside the golden Dao.

"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

With a tremendous crash, the golden Dao trembled violently, and everyone was suddenly freed from its oppressive grasp. Jinpeng struck out with his palm, meeting another golden hand in mid-air.

It was Jieyin's hand.

When Jieyin's hand collided with Jinpeng's, Jinpeng was forced back a hundred meters, staring in shock at Jieyin.

"That aura... You're Jieyin? You old bastard, you're still alive?" Jinpeng exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Jieyin replied calmly, "Were you hoping I was dead?"

"Hmph! I don't care if you're dead or alive—I'm going to eat that origin dragon, and no one can stop me!" Jinpeng snarled.

"Ling Mountain is not a place where you can do as you please. As long as I am here, no one will harm them!" Jieyin declared resolutely.

The clash between the two had drawn the attention of numerous Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats from all directions. After all, Ling Mountain had been peaceful for countless years—who would dare cause trouble here?

But the moment they saw Jinpeng, they understood. The fierce one had returned. He actually came back? And now he was facing Amitabha's counterpart, Jieyin?

"Are you really determined to oppose me?" Jinpeng's voice was cold and menacing.

"These people are my honored guests. If you intend to harm them, I can't let that happen. Leave now; the Great Leiyin Temple does not welcome you anymore," Jieyin replied bluntly.

Jieyin was effectively expelling Jinpeng from the temple. The assembled Buddhas and Bodhisattvas couldn't help but marvel—Amitabha truly had formidable authority.

"Roar!" Jinpeng let out a low, angry growl, clearly displeased and reluctant.

"You know you can't defeat me. Out of respect for Tathagata, I'm giving you a chance to leave peacefully. Take it," Jieyin said, his voice firm.

Though Jinpeng was unwilling, he understood the truth in Jieyin's words.

With a fierce glare, Jinpeng looked once more at the small golden dragon. His eyes were filled with frustration and reluctance, and he noticed the little girl on whose shoulder the dragon perched, staring back at him with an equally fierce expression. It seemed she was about to hurl insults at him, but the man beside her stopped her just in time.

Jinpeng's gaze shifted to the man, and the moment he saw his face, Jinpeng's expression changed again.

"It's you?" Jinpeng exclaimed.

Zhong Shan had just stopped Hao Meili from provoking Jinpeng further. Recognizing the formidable Golden-Winged Roc in front of him, Zhong Shan didn't want Hao Meili to make an enemy of such a powerful figure, especially in the Great Leiyin Temple, where Jinpeng held a high rank and immense strength. It was said that only Tathagata himself could subdue him.

Zhong Shan had only heard of Jinpeng, yet Jinpeng seemed to recognize him.

"You know me?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.

"Of course it's you! I can't mistake it. You look exactly like the man in the portrait—the one that woman longs for day and night. So it's you! Hahaha! If I capture you, let's see what that woman will do!" Jinpeng said, his excitement growing.

A woman? Longs for?

"Who is this woman you're talking about?" Zhong Shan's eyes grew cold as he asked.

"So the woman pines away for a heartless man, huh? It seems even the Central Divine Lord (中央教主) can fail sometimes! Hahaha!" Jinpeng laughed mockingly.

Central Divine Lord? Zhong Shan immediately realized who Jinpeng was talking about—Bao'er, or rather, the Central Divine Lord, who looked exactly like Bao'er.

"So, you're still not her match," Zhong Shan said, his voice steady but with an undertone of realization.

At the same time, Zhong Shan was taken aback by the realization of how powerful the Central Divine Lord must be. Jinpeng was a true Ancestral Immortal, and a formidable one at that, yet his tone was filled with apprehension toward the Central Divine Lord.

Central Divine Lord...

"As long as I consume this origin dragon, she might not be able to stop me anymore. Or maybe capturing you will be enough!" Jinpeng said grimly.

Zhong Shan carefully listened to Jinpeng's words. Jinpeng implied that even after advancing his cultivation by consuming the origin dragon, he would only "possibly" be able to defeat the Central Divine Lord—possibly, not certainly.

It was clear now: the Central Divine Lord was incredibly powerful, beyond what Jinpeng could handle even with an increase in strength. This realization put Zhong Shan's mind at ease regarding Bao'er's safety. With such a powerful entity as her protector, who could harm Bao'er? Jinpeng's frustration was proof of that.

"Too bad you'll never get that chance," Zhong Shan said, shaking his head.

"Leave now! Or do you want me to escort you?" Jieyin said, his tone growing more resolute.

From behind Jieyin, an immense golden light burst forth, turning the entire Ling Mountain into a radiant gold. A terrifying pressure bore down on Jinpeng. The surrounding Buddhas and Bodhisattvas began chanting Buddhist hymns, as if to bolster Jieyin's resolve.

Jinpeng looked at Jieyin, then cast one last hateful glance at Zhong Shan and his group. With a cold snort, he turned and shot off into the distance. Jinpeng's speed was truly extraordinary—within an instant, he had vanished from sight.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8