ing to look at Lǐ Chén's face. She replied in a soft voice: "Reporting to Your Highness, my foster father only instructed Jiāojiāo that after this, anything Your Highness says is heaven's decree, and...Chapter 1601: That's a Dead End

The ten Shaolin monks whose names were called out showed no emotion on their faces. They simply stood in place, holding their staffs at chest level, palms clasped together, and bowed slightly while chanting, "Amitabha Buddha."

Li Chen's expression was calm.

This was the first time he felt that the chant wasn't so unpleasant.

Just like people, there are differences between Buddhas.

There are some Buddhas who make one want to destroy all Buddhist teachings.

Then there are Buddhas that inspire awe.

Time was of the essence, and Li Chen and Xu Wei didn't have much time to wallow in sorrow. They left ten martial monks behind to cover their retreat, then the rest of them sprinted towards the direction where the Liao army was slightly less concentrated.

And those ten monks, after Li Chen and the others left, consciously formed a large circle back to back, facing the enemies surging from all directions. They roared together, coating themselves with a faint layer of golden Buddhist light, then charged recklessly into the enemy ranks, beginning a desperate fight to the death.

Similar scenes occurred six times in a row.

After the seventh monk fell back to cover, there were only four of the most skilled monks left by Li Chen's side, along with Xu Wei and Chen Tong.

But these sacrifices of the monks were not in vain.

Their rearguard action successfully allowed Li Chen to approach the south gate amidst countless Liaoning army's encirclement and pursuit.

The closer we get to the south gate, the more enemies there are. We're practically surrounded.

At this moment, the four remaining monks suddenly spoke up before Xu Wei: "Your Highness, we four request to be at the rearguard."

Li Chen's gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at the four of them. "I know you," he said, "disciples of Master Jiewang. He has high hopes for you."

The four of them looked at each other and laughed, saying with a carefree air: "At this moment, the ones standing here are not disciples of Buddhism, but citizens of the Qin Dynasty."

This statement stunned Xu Wei and Chen Tong.

"This palace underestimated the Buddhist sects of the world."

Li Chen sighed and said, "What are your demands"

The four monks bowed to Li Chen and said, "Your Highness, we are willing to serve as your vanguard and rear guard. We have no other requests. If there is one, then when Your Highness considers policies regarding Buddhism in the future, please remember that just as our master is different from Jue'an, not everyone in Buddhism is as misguided as Jue'an."

"Some people devote their whole lives to Buddhism and do not interfere with worldly affairs."

"Some people are blinded by greed and use Buddha for personal gain, they have been eroded by their own demons."

Some people are devoted to the public good and only wish for peace in the world, happiness for all people, and ultimate bliss for Buddha.

Li Chen nodded gently and said, "I will keep these words in my heart."

Four people looked at each other and smiled.

Then they abruptly turned and charged in all directions—forward, backward, left, and right.

"Let's go!"

Xu Wei gritted his teeth, his face contorted with grief and anger.

This trip, most of the martial monks under his command were killed or injured. The remaining few were arranged to be stationed outside the city, but with this small number of people, they could not form a large formation and were unable to deal with Earthly Immortal realm cultivators, which essentially meant they were reduced to nothing more than empty names.

But he couldn't.

A monk, no matter how important or valuable, must always prioritize protecting the prince when leaving the city.

As they could see the South City Gate in the distance, Li Chen and Xu Wei along with others all felt a genuine surge of excitement.

This is really pushing it, one wrong move and you're toast. Even Li Chen feels the adrenaline pumping.

Although the price was high, it was worth it in the end.

Just as they were about to charge past a line of defense and get closer to the South City Gate, a figure suddenly rushed out of an alleyway nearby and shouted, "That's a dead end, don't go there!!!"like we were bargaining for somethingRegardless of Qian Shiyan's true feelings, Wang Tenghuan had already spoken: "Although this old minister is elderly, he still wholeheartedly serves the country. Yo...