268: The End of the Fake Monk

Mounted on his Saifeng steed, General Xue Rengui, clad in golden armor and holding his Halberd, felt a sense of relief as he watched the fake monks surrender one by one.

"Reporting to the General, all the bandits have been bound, and none have escaped... The women who were being held captive have also all been rescued!"

A deputy general bowed to General Xue Rengui.

"Very well. Escort these bandits to the local authorities and wait for the new prefect appointed by the imperial court to arrive before we discuss interrogation... Prefect Yao, we met when you came to the capital to report on your duties, yet I never expected that a minor local official like you would also harbor treasonous intentions."

General Xue Rengui chuckled at Prefect Yao.

Prefect Yao shook his head helplessly and said, "General, you are mistaken. I was merely bewitched by evil spirits; I did not truly intend to rebel. I hope you will see the truth and spare my life!"

"Whether you were bewitched or truly harbor treasonous intent is not for me to decide, nor is it for you..."

General Xue Rengui scoffed, "Wait for the Imperial Envoy to decide!"

"Imperial Envoy?"

Prefect Yao turned around abruptly and exclaimed in shock, "Is it that monk?"

General Xue Rengui chuckled, "That is no ordinary monk. He is the pilgrim personally appointed by the Emperor, currently serving as the State Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty. He is a True Buddha with vast Divine Ability and profound Buddha Dharma!"

Prefect Yao was greatly astonished: "He is Xuanzang? But... but wasn't Xuanzang just an ordinary monk with no strength to truss a chicken? How could he possess such power?"

"Surprised, aren't you? Heh, I was very surprised at first too, but there are even more surprising things to come... Take him away and hold him for disposal!"

General Xue Rengui ordered.

The crowd escorted the dejected Prefect Yao, along with the group of fake monks and their followers, away.

Suddenly, General Xue felt something plummeting rapidly from above. He hurriedly turned his horse and swept his Halberd horizontally.

Hum... Bang!

A massive force sent the falling object flying. When he looked closely, he discovered it was actually a bald Old Monk.

The Old Monk did a flip in mid-air and landed on the ground, gritting his teeth and saying, "What bad luck. After finally managing to dodge that baleful star, how did I run into another imperial lackey..."

General Xue Rengui took a look and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Well, well, the bandit Lei Wei. To think you would use the guise of a monk to engage in rebellion. You certainly know how to scheme!"

The Old Monk was startled, then exclaimed, "You young general, how do you know your grandfather's name?"

General Xue Rengui brandished his Halberd and chuckled, "Before I came, I reviewed the dossiers and portraits of all the bandits in Shandong. It just so happens that your portrait was at the top of the list, labeled by the Dali Temple as having committed countless evils. Now that you've fallen into my hands, you are finished!"

"Heh, truly a newborn calf that is not afraid of the tiger. You actually dare to try and bully me? It just so happens I've had enough of being frustrated today, so it is only fitting that I take it all out on you..."

With that, the old man rushed up wielding a single-edged sword. Because of the Moonlight True Buddha, he had learned a few Spells, making his physical body thousands of times stronger than an ordinary person's. To him, this Mortal general would be dealt with in a single round.

However, the moment they clashed, he knew he was wrong, and terribly so.

Clang!

The steel sword in his hand snapped instantly, and blood flowed from the web between his thumb and index finger. The Old Monk leaped backward, staring at his opponent in terror, "You... you are not a Mortal?"

General Xue Rengui chuckled, "I am General Xue Rengui of the Tang Dynasty's Left Xiaowei Guard. As for being a Mortal... it depends on who you compare me to. Compared to you, I'm practically an immortal!"

"Good lad, you're arrogant enough!" The Old Monk was furious. Just as he raised his steel sword, he realized only half remained. He angrily threw the hilt to the ground and reached into his robe with his right hand, pulling out a short Vajra pestle. He chanted incantations, and the Vajra pestle suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a five-clawed golden Dragon that lunged at General Xue Rengui with bared fangs and brandished claws.

General Xue Rengui frowned slightly, "True Dragons are considered auspicious omens; why is your Dragon so hideous and wicked?"

Clang!

He thrust his Halberd directly at the golden Dragon diving down. The Dragon circled and danced, its long body coiling around General Xue Rengui, attacking him repeatedly with sharp fangs and claws, but all were blocked by the weapon in his hand.

The fight between the Dragon and the man turned the world dark, obscuring the sun and moon. This left the Old Monk on the sidelines—the bandit Lei Wei—with his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

"This Vajra Profound Dragon must have the strength of ten thousand catties. How can it not take down a mere underling? No, this guy is definitely not a Mortal!"

Lei Wei secretly thought things were bad and already had thoughts of fleeing.

Little did he know, General Xue Rengui was the Reincarnation of the Western White Tiger Ominous Star and had been granted the strength of nine bulls, two tigers, and one dragon by the Goddess of the Nine Heavens. He possessed immense strength; ordinary demons and monsters, just by encountering his monstrous strength, would be in for a world of trouble. Furthermore, his Saifeng steed was a top-tier horse of exceptional speed, said to be able to travel ten thousand li by day and eight thousand by night, like a Dragon horse. Thus, this man and his mount were able to go toe-to-toe with the golden Dragon transformed from the Vajra pestle, and were even more agile.

It wasn't just Lei Wei who found this absurd; anyone else would find it not only absurd but beyond belief.

General Xue Rengui was in high spirits, his Halberd dancing like a windmill. Seeing it couldn't wound him, the Dragon changed tactics, suddenly spitting a bolt of lightning from its mouth, heading straight for General Xue Rengui's forehead.

General Xue couldn't help but roar, "Mere evil spirit, you dare to wield divine lightning? Do you really think I'm afraid of you!"

This roar was truly imposing, and his Halberd moved faster than the lightning, colliding head-on.

General Xue Rengui felt his palm go numb, but it was only for an instant. His body was inherently tough, already possessing a semi-immortal constitution, so such low-level Spells could only scare Mortals. To him, it was useless; simply put, it was like being shocked by the flint in a lighter—it caused absolutely no harm.

The Halberd in General Xue Rengui's hand was also a genuine treasure. Apart from being passed down from the fierce Three Kingdoms warrior Lü Bu, it had been forged into a Magical Artifact by the Si Tian Jian, making it incredibly sharp. With one strike, half the head of the golden Dragon was severed; with another strike, it was pinned to the ground, instantly revealing its true form.

However, when General Xue Rengui looked up again, Lei Wei had already turned and fled, running like the wind, with no trace of his earlier arrogance.

General Xue Rengui smiled disdainfully and was just about to urge his mount to pursue when a golden ring suddenly dropped from mid-air, smashing into Lei Wei's back. It sent him tumbling, and he lay sprawled on the ground, instantly falling unconscious.

"Damn it, this guy used a smoke screen just now. If General Xue hadn't been here, I'm afraid this scoundrel would have escaped!"

Nezha retracted his Universe Ring and bowed to General Xue Rengui, "Many thanks!"

He was usually unruly, but he greatly admired this powerhouse who could go toe-to-toe with a cultivator relying solely on martial arts.

"Heh, you're too kind, little brother Nezha. I wonder if the Holy Monk has already captured that fake Buddha. Let us return and see..."

General Xue Rengui said politely.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than they both suddenly felt the ground shake violently. Looking back, they saw a gigantic, silvery-white snake suddenly appear in the city, flicking its tongue and fleeing for its life!