Suddenly, a Buddhist chant rang out:
"Amitabha! Well done, well done!"
A monk stepped forward—Master Yiye—his palms pressed together in solemn greeting. With a calm and measured voice, he spoke:
"Master Wu, righteousness should be your foundation, and compassion your guiding heart. It is not fitting to indulge in needless slaughter. If it pleases you, this old monk, though unworthy, would like to exchange a few moves with you."
Master Yiye was a realized monk. In his heart he held the belief that Heaven cherishes all life, and Earth bears all things with boundless virtue. To allow Wu Tong to descend into indiscriminate killing would be a grave wrong.
Chen Jinfeng, seeing this ragged-robed monk suddenly appear before her and boldly challenge her, was momentarily taken aback. Then she sneered:
"Old monk, you'd best return to your temple and chant your sutras. This is no place for you. Since you dare step forward, state your name!"
The monk replied calmly:
"This humble one is Yiye Chan Master."
At the mention of his name, Chen Jinfeng's heart trembled slightly. She knew his martial attainments were extraordinary. Yet in the next instant, recalling that she had consumed the sacred White Lotus of Mount Hua—gaining fifteen years of inner power—her confidence surged. She no longer regarded him as a threat.
With a cold laugh, she said:
"It is said your Beiye Palm is unrivaled under Heaven. Today, I, Chen Jinfeng, would like to see just how formidable it truly is!"
Her tone implied that even if the art were supreme, the man before her might not be.
Master Yiye only replied humbly:
"Rumors in the martial world are often exaggerated. It is merely a Buddhist art—hardly worth mentioning."
Chen Jinfeng's gaze sharpened.
"Make your move!"
Master Yiye remained motionless, palms together, his expression filled with compassion:
"Amitabha… Good and evil follow like shadows. The law of karma spans three lifetimes without fail. A life wasted cannot be reclaimed."
Chen Jinfeng's brows knit together in disdain.
"Enough of your preaching—let's see if you have the skill to back it up!"
With a sharp cry, she lunged forward. In an instant, the two exchanged blows—palms clashing, techniques unfolding—each displaying profound skill, neither yielding an inch.
Thus it was said:
With cold eyes she scorns the Western Buddha,Karma meets its due across three lifetimes.Violence breeds delusion and dark intent,While heaven's grace transforms through discipline.
Chen Jinfeng struck as fast as lightning. Her opening move was a blend of feint and force, testing her opponent with only sixty percent of her strength. Yet the result shocked her.
Master Yiye received the strike with only a slight sway.
A tremor ran through her body. Her face changed at once.
Recovering swiftly, she spoke aloud:
"Master Yiye, your martial skill is truly astonishing. I admire it greatly!"
The monk answered:
"The sea of suffering has no shore—turn back, and you will find the land."
Even as they spoke, their hands never ceased moving. In but a few exchanges, several techniques had already been traded. Master Yiye now employed a subtle maneuver—yielding yet responsive—circling and neutralizing her attacks.
Chen Jinfeng replied coldly:
"If one has already reached the shore, why turn back?"
The monk said gently:
"I wish to guide you toward the path. Renounce the world, take refuge in the Buddha, and awaken to true enlightenment."
Chen Jinfeng laughed sharply:
"The Western Sacred Sect stands supreme, ordained by Heaven itself. We have our own path of cultivation. Spare me your concern, old monk!"
Master Yiye responded:
"To be born human is rare; to hear the Dharma is rarer still. Since you possess both, you should cultivate earnestly."
He continued:
"All phenomena arise from causes and conditions. One flower contains a world; one leaf reveals enlightenment. Beings wander within the six realms—heaven, human, asura, hell, hungry ghost, and beast—bound by karma, cycling endlessly through birth and death. This is the wheel of samsara."
Wu Tong and Ling Xian'er, upon hearing Chen Jinfeng extol the so-called Western Sacred Sect, felt nothing but disdain. In their eyes, such a cult—trafficking people and spreading corruption—was nothing more than deception cloaked in doctrine.
Buddhism teaches that all existence is suffering—vast and boundless as the sea. Only through abandoning evil, cultivating virtue, and practicing the Dharma can one escape the cycle and reach the Western Pure Land.
In this imperfect world—the Saha realm—flaws and suffering are inescapable. As the saying goes:
"All under Heaven bustle for profit; all under Heaven rush for gain."
Thus, beings remain trapped in endless suffering, unless they awaken.
Just then, Chen Jinfeng unleashed a fierce palm strike.
Master Yiye calmly deflected it with a slanted motion of his left hand, dissolving its force. With a turn of his body, he silently moved behind her and delivered a kick.
But Chen Jinfeng seemed to have eyes on her back. She leapt high into the air, then dove down like a hawk.
Master Yiye raised both hands to block. Her downward strike was halted instantly.
She rebounded into the air, shifted position mid-flight, and descended again in a spinning assault.
Once engaged, they fought with blinding speed—strike after strike—exchanging forty to fifty moves in the blink of an eye.
Ever since consuming the White Lotus of Mount Hua, Chen Jinfeng's inner power had surged dramatically. Her palms struck with overwhelming force, her techniques flowing effortlessly, each move more formidable than the last…