Chapter 673: To the Rescue

After arriving at the Ancient Holy Realm, Lin Fan learned for the first time about the existence of the Great Thousand Races.

As for the Buddhist Race, back when Lin Fan was in the Xuanhuang Realm, his junior apprentice brother Lu Yan had actually obtained the inheritance of a powerful figure from the Buddhist Race.

However, it was still within the sealed Xuanhuang Realm. Although his cultivation had progressed rapidly there, the path forward had seemed rather dim.

Now, seeing the true Buddhist Race stirred up some nostalgia in Lin Fan.

But this Buddhist Race individual was being quite audacious, actually trying to stop him from slaying the Ancient Race.

“Are you trying to stop this Emperor from killing the Ancient Race?” Lin Fan asked, clearly displeased.

“Disciple, your heart is in chaos,” the Venerable Sakyamuni replied with a serene smile, sounding rather arrogant.

“Chaos, my ass! Speak plainly,” Lin Fan retorted, hating nothing more than being interrupted while doing something, especially when it came to slaughtering the Ancient Race. For a member of the Buddhist Race to dare interfere, it was practically asking for death.

“Disciple, you—” Venerable Sakyamuni hadn’t expected this Human Emperor to start cursing at him so suddenly. Just as he was about to get angry, he quickly reined in his temper, chanting a sutra to suppress his rising fury.

“Hey, isn’t that Venerable Sakyamuni?”

“Truly him! The Buddhist Race’s genius and mighty being, who saves all sentient beings.”

“Who would’ve thought Venerable Sakyamuni would come here too—could it be he’s here to save us?”

“Venerable Sakyamuni!”

At this moment, the beings of the Great Thousand Races, seeing the radiant figure of Sakyamuni emitting boundless holy light in the sky, began discussing excitedly.

It seemed that Venerable Sakyamuni was quite famous among the Great Thousand Races.

At this sight, Lin Fan felt a slight annoyance in his heart.

How could a bald monk be more famous than himself? It defied logic.

He had been fighting tooth and nail to exterminate the Ancient Race, yet in the end, few people even knew his name. To Lin Fan, this was a painful reality.

What Lin Fan didn’t realize was that every time he killed the Ancient Race, he left no survivors—no one was left to spread the word.

Therefore, it was perfectly normal for the beings of the Great Thousand Races not to know about the Human Emperor.

As for Venerable Sakyamuni, his reputation among the Great Thousand Races was well-earned. Every time he appeared, he would convert the Ancient Race, sometimes even secretly letting one escape to spread the news.

Gradually, the beings of the Great Thousand Races came to know of Venerable Sakyamuni.

Compared to him, Lin Fan’s methods of promotion were somewhat behind.

Upon hearing the voices of the Great Thousand Races, Sakyamuni smiled calmly and then waved his hand.

“Esteemed disciples, I came to rescue you upon sensing your plight. However, it seems the Human Emperor arrived before me. It seems there’s nothing left for me to do,” Sakyamuni said.

“Venerable Sakyamuni, your kindness is deeply appreciated by us juniors,” the beings of the Great Thousand Races expressed their gratitude.

Damn…

Seeing this unfold before him, Lin Fan couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration. This monk was playing a deep game indeed—without doing anything, just a few words nearly stole all his credit.

Unbearable. Simply unbearable.

“Human Emperor, may I ask for the favor of sparing these Ancient Race members so that I may convert them,” Venerable Sakyamuni requested, looking at Lin Fan.

“I won’t grant you that favor,” Lin Fan refused without hesitation.

“The Ancient Race has slaughtered countless beings of the Great Thousand Races and deserves death. If I hadn’t arrived just now, the Hare Clan’s leader would have already met a tragic end. Keeping the Ancient Race alive is nothing but a disaster,” Lin Fan explained.

Upon hearing this, the Hare Clan leader felt a chill of fear and shared the same sentiment as Lin Fan—the Ancient Race deserved death.

“Human Emperor is right. The Ancient Race must die and cannot be spared,” the Hare Clan leader stepped forward and declared.

After all, a handsome fellow like Lin Fan was quite popular.

As for Venerable Sakyamuni, although the Hare Clan leader respected him, if he had to choose sides, he would definitely support someone like Lin Fan.

“Venerable Sakyamuni, we juniors understand your compassion, but the Ancient Race is inherently savage and has committed countless sins. They deserve death.”

“That’s right! The Ancient Race must die!”

“My junior sister was defiled by the Ancient Race. The Ancient Race must be destroyed.”

“Exactly! We cannot rest until every last Ancient Race member is dead.”

…

Voices from the Great Thousand Races continued to rise.

Lin Fan shrugged and gave a thumbs-up to the beings of the Great Thousand Races. Good, very good. His efforts to save them hadn’t been in vain.

Venerable Sakyamuni hadn’t expected these beings of the Great Thousand Races to side with the Human Emperor. This was something he hadn’t foreseen.

“Bald monk, go back where you came from. There’s nothing left for you here,” Lin Fan said.

“Disciple, please address me as Sakyamuni or Venerable,” Sakyamuni replied, clearly irritated by the term “bald monk” and somewhat angered.

If not for the presence of so many beings from the Great Thousand Races, he would’ve already challenged the Human Emperor to a proper duel.

“Bald monk.”

“Disciple, you—”

“Bald monk.”

“Bald monk.”

“Disciple, please show me respect, and I shall respect you in return,” Sakyamuni finally grew angry. This person was being too disrespectful.

As a Buddhist Race prodigy who had roamed the Ancient Holy Realm for a hundred years, when had he ever encountered such disrespect from a human?

How infuriating. Simply too infuriating.

“Bald monk,” Lin Fan chuckled and called him that again.

“Fine, fine, Disciple. I have better manners and won’t stoop to your level,” Sakyamuni was furious but restrained himself, seeing the large crowd of Great Thousand Race beings watching.

In front of so many people, he had to maintain his image as an enlightened monk and not show anger.

“Bald monk, if you have such good manners, then please step aside. I, the Emperor, will kill all these Ancient Race members,” Lin Fan said.

“I cannot allow that,” Venerable Sakyamuni shook his head. “The Buddha is compassionate. I see the heavy karma of slaughter upon you. If you do not turn back soon, endless calamities await you.”

“What does that have to do with you, bald monk? If I want to kill the Ancient Race, do you really think you can stop me?” Lin Fan was somewhat at a loss with this monk.

Could it be that he was missing a few brain cells?

Venerable Sakyamuni turned his gaze toward the vast number of Ancient Race members, his eyes filled with a trace of reluctance.

“Human Emperor, if no one else will go to hell, then I shall go. I am willing to sacrifice myself to save these Ancient Race members,” Venerable Sakyamuni truly couldn’t bear to part with them.

So many Ancient Race members—if they were all killed by this human, it would be such a waste.

“How do you plan to save them?” Lin Fan asked with a smile.

“I understand your resentment toward the Ancient Race. To ease this hatred, I am willing to endure your wrath. For every punch you throw at an Ancient Race member, I shall endure it, and for each one I endure, you spare one Ancient Race member. How does that sound?” Venerable Sakyamuni spoke with compassion.

“What? What did you say?” Lin Fan was stunned, thinking he had misheard. This bald monk actually wanted to endure his punches of love? Who the hell could withstand such punches?

“Bald monk, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Once I throw a punch, the consequences are on you.”

“Disciple, please proceed. This is my own choice,” Venerable Sakyamuni replied.

As Venerable Sakyamuni looked at the Human Emperor before him, his mind began to race.

Earlier, when this Human Emperor had moved, his displayed power had gone beyond expectations—likely at the sixth or seventh level of the Divine Heaven Realm.

With his cultivation in the “Indestructible Wrath Buddha Body,” he should be able to endure it. Plus, within his inner world, there were still many Ancient Race members offering their faith, strengthening him. He should be able to withstand hundreds of thousands of punches.

Absolutely. This deal was winnable. It would also allow this Human Emperor to witness his strength, while simultaneously showcasing himself once again in front of the beings of the Great Thousand Races. With such a shocking scene, he could earn even more worship from the Great Thousand Races.

As for Lin Fan, only one thought was in his mind.

This bald monk’s brain was definitely broken.