'Follow.'

The thought of investigation arose in his heart, and Jiang Li immediately put it into action. The black and white Taiji surrounded the two people and a dog, slightly turned, and the Taiji sliced through the air, distantly following Taibai True Monarch.

As for Taibai True Monarch, a collaborator with the Heavenly Monarch and the first disciple of the Daoist Lord, Jiang Li could not claim to be uninterested in his objectives. Especially now, Taibai True Monarch had turned into an enemy. His journey to the Buddha Country might be detrimental to their side.

Following the sword light, traveling westward, they left the three thousand miles of desolate desert and entered the territory of the Buddha Country.

Taibai True Monarch's journey was not hidden at all, his sword momentum blazing like stars traversing the sky, completely different from Sun Wukong who had previously entered the Buddha Country.

Although the Buddha Country and Great Zhou were neighbors, due to the Kunxu Mountain Range, grasslands, and marshes, as well as the three thousand miles of desert, neither side invested much manpower in border defense. Especially the Buddha Country, due to its own system, ostensibly had no army. Those monk soldiers sent to Great Zhou were actually martial monks, usually focused mainly on cultivation.

Therefore, when Taibai True Monarch entered the territory of the Buddha Country, the cultivators there did not notice immediately. But he headed straight toward the heart of the Buddha Country, leaving behind long-lasting sword momentum wherever he went, with a Qi mechanism that seemed to split the sky dome in two, impossible for anyone to ignore.

Such an obvious indication shocked those who witnessed the sword momentum and made Jiang Li increasingly attentive to Taibai True Monarch's movements.

"He's heading to Lingtai Mountain," Primordial Lord Rain Master suddenly said, "He's been heading straight in that direction without changing, he's almost certainly going to Lingtai Mountain."

"Lingtai Mountain? The holy land of the Buddha Country..." Jiang Li's heart stirred, and divination symbols began to swirl in his eyes as he initiated a calculation.

Lingtai Mountain is the central hub of the Buddha Country, where the ancestral courts of the Buddha Country's Eight Veins are all located. The top of Lingtai Mountain is where the chiefs of past generations have taught. The current chief, the Awakened, after agreeing upon the covenant "the Awakened will not emerge into the world, and the Tathagata will not leave seclusion," is also in seclusion there.

In theory, even for a formidable figure like Taibai True Monarch, attempting to invade Lingtai Mountain alone would be fraught with danger.

Provided that Lingtai Mountain still possesses a third-grade... or rather, still has someone of third-grade power able to take action.

Manjusri, Guanyin, and the newly promoted third-grade Tan Wuwei, are all currently on Kunxu Mountain, while the Awakened, adhering to the agreement with Karma Tathagata, is in seclusion. Therefore, there truly is no power on Lingtai Mountain now capable of stopping Taibai True Monarch.

'But that's just on the surface. If the Awakened were inclined, even a single spiritual sense would be enough to unleash power not inferior to third-grade,' Jiang Li thought.

These Supreme beings, each of such profound Realm and extraordinary means, even the theoretically weakest among them, the Emperor, was only sealed after losing the Heavenly Heart and nearing the limit of his lifespan, causing his power to decline amidst betrayal and solitude.

Without a transcendent Supreme, even the current Jiang Li would not wish to confront them head-on.

The last time at Laojun Temple, the Awakened, with just a spiritual sense, exerted most of his power and was able to contend with a Three Pure Ones Primordial Spirit from the Daoist Lord. Now, with the Awakened's main body at Lingtai Mountain, as long as he is willing to act, it is absolutely possible to force Taibai True Monarch to retreat.

'Yes, as long as the Awakened acts…'

Jiang Li thought, his eyes flickering with light.

Although it involved the Awakened and Taibai True Monarch, making divination difficult, the essence of Yi Dao still lies in calculation. Even if he could not inquire from the heavenly mechanism, he could still exhaustively calculate human nature.

Moreover, Jiang Li now understood cause and effect. In crafting plots and schemes, he had become increasingly adept at calculating the human mind.

He had already seen through Taibai True Monarch's intentions.

Taibai True Monarch wanted the Awakened to act; he wanted the Awakened to break the vow and destroy the agreement.

Previously, the Awakened moved and acted in secret with his spiritual sense. But now, everyone knows Lingtai Mountain no longer has any third-grade beings. At this moment, if Taibai True Monarch is forced to retreat, no matter how discreetly the Awakened operates, it cannot withstand others' deductions.

Once the Awakened acts to force Taibai True Monarch to retreat, it signifies that Karma Tathagata loses the shackles, and the Fire House Buddha Hell Master will emerge once more.

'Did he notice that my Master and I separated, and unable to handle me, opted for a more radical approach?'

The more Jiang Li thought, the more convinced he became that Taibai True Monarch's purpose was to force the Awakened to act.

Taibai True Monarch and Manjusri have never been aligned. Even if he acted against Jiang Li, benefiting Manjusri, it does not mean they are allies.

What Taibai True Monarch needed was a battle significant enough to enable his promotion. This battle did not have to take place in Great Zhou; it could happen in the Buddha Country. The appearance of the Awakened and the emergence of Karma Tathagata would lead to a confrontation between the Fire House Buddha Hell and the Buddha Country.

Furthermore, with the Fire House Buddha Hell once again opposing the Buddha Country, it would also force Manjusri and others to retreat back to the Buddha Country, similarly fulfilling the Daoist Lord's desires.

Even, Taibai True Monarch might have already discerned the Awakened's intention and, if he made this intention public, the Buddha Country itself would descend into chaos.

On another note, even if his plan fails and the Awakened ultimately does not act, once failed, the second time might succeed. His intentions being exposed could completely prompt Jiang Li, who is separated from Tianxuan, to voluntarily reveal himself and step forward to stop him.

Currently, Jiang Li and the Awakened could be said to be a team.

Jiang Li had to admit Taibai True Monarch played a brilliant move. This step he took turned passivity into initiative, allowing the situation to move in his favor.

One could only say that none of these third-grade individuals are simple. First, the Immortal Queen orchestrated a plan, followed by Taibai True Monarch's westward journey. Although Taibai True Monarch is a Sword Cultivator, and his style of action corresponds with that of a Sword Cultivator, this does not mean his thoughts are as straightforward as a sword.

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