The two conversed across the air, their voices echoing between heaven and earth, causing a tremendous shock to everyone present.
The Asura Vajra immediately retreated and stood side by side with the Vajra Du’nan, focusing his attention to meet the enemy.
At the same time, he understood why the sabre intent of the martial artist had been able to break through his Vajra body. It was because this was the sabre intent of a second rank martial artist, at the Hedao realm.
Hedao, meant union with one’s Dao, to be at its forefront.
Nalan Tianlu stopped meditating and healing his wounds, decisively falling back to remove himself from the battlefield, in case the second rank martial artist targeted him.
Had the old man from the Wulin Alliance advanced?
On a distant hill, Liu Hongmian and the others exchanged glances.
“Let’s return to the Wind-Riding Boat first, so we can retreat at any time,” Liu Hongmian said in a low voice.
“No, if we go back to the Wind-Riding Boat, we’ll just become targets,” Qihuan Danxiang shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.
Jingxin shook his head slightly and pressed his palms together:
“It’s alright, everyone. The two Vajras still have a backup plan.”
With a swish, Liu Hongmian and the others all looked at him.
Jingxin appeared calm, as if everything was under control.
Second rank? Has Old Ancestor really advanced to second rank? Because of the nine-coloured lotus root delivered by Silver Gong Xu?
An overwhelming sense of happiness almost knocked the Wulin Alliance to the ground.
What did a second rank martial artist mean? How many second ranks were there in the whole of Jiuzhou?
Luo Yuheng, the Daoist Leader of the Human Sect, was only second rank.
In other words, with a second rank martial artist, the Wulin Alliance could now be classed as a highest-tier sect.
And all of this was thanks to Silver Gong Xu.
“Our Old Ancestor has advanced to the second rank, ha ha, hahaha…”
“Silver Gong Xu truly is the Wulin Alliance’s lucky star.”
“Back when we were going after the lotus seeds, the fact that Alliance Leader Cao did not turn against him was truly wise, truly heroic.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader Cao is wise and heroic!”
Fu Jingmen, Yang Cuixue and the other martial artists were wild with joy, feeling that the Wulin Alliance was about to usher in its most glorious and peak era.
Hearing the praise around her for Silver Gong Xu, Young Master Liu could not help glancing at Xiao Yuenu.
There was a smile at the corner of her eyes and mouth, it was unclear whether it was for the Old Ancestor’s breakthrough or because Silver Gong Xu’s crisis was resolved.
Does Tower Master Xiao also admire Silver Gong Xu…? The women of Wanhua Tower like young and outstanding men, and a peerless talent like Silver Gong Xu would obviously be immensely attractive to them… Only an unrivalled beauty like Tower Master Xiao would be worthy of Silver Gong Xu…
Thinking this, Young Master Liu felt as if his heart was collapsing.
…
On the Wind-Riding Boat, Ji Xuan quietly withdrew his gaze and sighed:
“I understand now. He’s been stalling for time, waiting for the old man to advance to second rank. Sigh, if only Nalan Tianlu and the Buddhist Vajras had listened to us and destroyed the old man’s secluded retreat, we would have won this battle.”
Xu Yuanshuang said lightly:
“In their eyes, the Wulin Alliance is not important, nor is it important whether the old man lives or dies. Besides, what is a beyond-mortal martial artist who has sealed himself away for centuries?”
At this moment, there was not a trace of grief on her face, one would never have guessed that there had been tears just a moment ago.
Xu Yuanshuang said:
“With father’s wisdom, he surely knew that Xu Qi’an had the nine-coloured lotus root. I don’t know why he had it, but father certainly did.
“With that premise, you must still have something up your sleeve. Or perhaps you and father have another scheme?”
Ji Xuan laughed:
“Yuanshuang, you’re so clever. Why not hazard a guess?”
Xu Yuanshuang frowned but said nothing.
…
Behind the old man, his hair coiled around his body like tentacles, covering his vital points.
“Not bad,” he said.
He looked himself over with satisfaction, then gazed at the two Vajras and laughed:
“So the Buddhist Vajras have come all the way to my Jianzhou. Since when have the Western Regions extended their reach so far?”
The Asura Vajra pressed his palms together and replied in a deep, imposing voice:
“Buddha’s light shines on all living things. Where is there that we cannot go?”
The old man narrowed his eyes and said, enunciating every word:
“You seek to collect the dragon qi of the Great Feng and covet the Central Plains. The Buddhist sect is as arrogant and lawless as ever, do you really think the Great Feng has no one left?”
As his words fell, he appeared before the Asura Vajra, his palm like a sabre.
His danger sense made the Asura Vajra react in advance, crossing his arms in front of his chest. There was a hum, as the Vajra divine power surged, forming a circular shield.
This was an ability that only those who had mastered the Vajra Arts to a profound level could display.
“Crack!”
With an almost casual stab, the old man’s palm-sabre pierced the shield.
The dissipating golden light spread out in ripples dozens of metres in diameter.
Suddenly, he tilted his head to the side. A golden fist sliced past his neck, it was aimed at the back of his head.
No one knew when the Vajra Du’nan had approached, attacking from behind.
The old man flipped his wrist, slashing upward with his palm-sabre, precisely targeting the Vajra Du’nan’s wrist. The sabre intent condensed on his palm-sabre cut open the dark-golden skin.
Golden blood gushed out.
“Tough skin and thick flesh!” the old man snorted coldly. He had originally meant to slice off the Vajra’s hand.
A Vajra’s body was far tougher than that of a third-rank martial artist.
Vajra Du’nan’s wrist was wracked with pain. Quick to react, he retreated decisively.
But he did not succeed. The old man seized his wrist, twisted, and threw him over his shoulder.
Boom!
The Vajra fell heavily to the ground like a giant metal tower. Terrifying energy passed through his body, penetrated the mountainside, tore apart the rock within, and cracks stretched into the interior of the mountain.
With just that, the main peak of Quanrong Mountain was covered in cracks, like a porcelain vase.
Vajra Du’nan’s vision blacked out, his mind shaken, and he coughed up copious dark golden blood.
What a waste… In the distance, Xu Qi’an swallowed hard.
Vajra Du’nan’s pupils lost focus as he briefly fainted.
Elsewhere, the Asura Vajra Dufan picked up a boulder weighing tens of tonnes, let out a deep shout, and hurled it at the old man with all his might.
Whoosh,
A vast shadow engulfed the old man.
The old man raised his sabre-hand and traced a cross. With a crack, the massive boulder split precisely into four pieces, flying off in different directions, just brushing past the old man at the centre.
Reflected in the old man’s eyes was the figure of the Asura Vajra, who leapt high, knee thrust like a spear, charging towards the old man with a fierce momentum.
Compared to other systems, combat between martial artists seemed plain and unadorned, and for Vajras of the Buddhist sect who did not cultivate “intent”, their methods relied solely on fists and feet.
If one seized the chance to close in, a single flurry of strikes could settle the fight.
The old man stepped forward and struck with his palm, landing precisely on the inner thigh of the Asura Vajra, causing him to tilt to the left.
Taking a second step, the old man’s attack was met with a clang as brilliant golden light exploded from the Asura Vajra, blossoming like golden fireworks.
So powerful… Xu Qi’an saw clearly that, in that brief instant, the old man’s fists, palms, elbows, and knees rained down on the Asura Vajra like a furious storm.
His protective golden light was smashed apart, like paint flaking from a statue.
The onlookers only heard a single massive clang, for all those attacks had landed in an instant.
Even among third-ranks, the Asura Vajra was no weakling, at least stronger than Xu Qi’an was now, but he had no power to fight back whatsoever.
The close combat ability that martial artists prided themselves on was completely suppressed when faced with an even more formidable fighter.
The instant his knee strike was batted away, the Asura Vajra tried to counterattack with his Transforming Force, but the old man violently interrupted it with sheer brute power.
Bang!
The old man struck the Asura Vajra’s forehead, forcing him to his knees as blood spurted out wildly.
“Did I say you could get up?”
The old man twisted and stomped down hard, pinning Vajra Du’nan beneath his foot once more.
“Urgh…” Vajra Du’nan coughed up blood again.
Of the two Vajras, one lay prone and the other knelt, both drenched in blood.
*Crack, crash, *
Tough rocks split, the mountainside collapsed, and Vajra Du’nan tumbled down the cliff with tens of thousands of tonnes of rock.
So frighteningly strong… so this was a second rank martial artist… the onlooking members of the Wulin Alliance were left mouths agape.
Not long ago, the overwhelming might of the two Vajras had been clear for all to see, they seemed unbeatable.
Even Silver Gong Xu had been deeply wary of them.
But now, the two of them were like martial arts novices, ground into the dirt by an old master.
“Refreshing! It’s been centuries since I last stretched my limbs.”
The old man laughed heartily, the booming sound sending birds scattering from the distant woods.
“Senior, stop playing around, finish this quickly before things drag on and something goes wrong.”
Xu Qi’an, bathed in the shards of light from the Medicine Buddha Aspect, called out loudly in warning.
The reason villains died from talking too much was not because they were villains, but because they talked too much.
“Silver Gong Xu is too cautious.”
Having been in secluded cultivation for centuries within the caves, the old man had not been able to resist testing his skills earlier. The Vajras were thick-skinned and sturdy, even for him, they were tough to take down.
But tough did not mean unkillable, at the end of the day, they were just particularly durable sandbags.
“Still, this is not the time for a protracted battle. Otherwise, this whole mountain will be flattened.”
The old man soared into the air, hovering half-suspended. In that instant, he seemed to transform into a peerless, untamed sabre, his edge utterly exposed. At just a glance, Cao Qingyang and the others hurriedly shut their eyes.
Their eyes seared and tears streamed down their face.
The clouds above were torn asunder, and sabre-intent sharp enough to cut filled the world.
Even someone as physically strong as Xu Qi’an felt his hair stand on end under this invisible sabre-intent.
On the Wind-riding Boat, Xu Yuanshuang squeezed her eyes shut, the sound of hissing in her ears as her sleeves, thighs, and shoulders were sliced by the subtle sabre-intent.
Thin cuts opened on her skin, burning with pain.
“Sister…”
Xu Yuanhuai reacted quickly, hurriedly shielding her from the sabre-intent.
“This can kill a Vajra, this kind of power can definitely kill a Vajra…”
Xu Qi’an’s eyes lit up as he directed the Stupa Tower toward the main peak.
As soon as the old man slew one of the Vajras, he would immediately absorb their blood to push his Vajra Divine Skill even further.
The Asura Vajra felt himself locked onto.
He was the only one present facing this sabre-intent directly, Vajra Du’nan had already been knocked down the cliff.
The martial artist’s danger sense screamed warning signals, urging him to escape.
For the first time in years, the Asura Vajra once more experienced the threat of death. The last time he’d felt this was when he accompanied the Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Arhats to annihilate the southern Yao.
But he could not escape, the sabre-intent in mid-air had already fixed on him.
“Amitabha!”
The Asura Vajra pressed his palms together and sat cross-legged.
“Seems you’ve comprehended!”
The old man flipped in the air, transforming himself into a sabre poised to strike.
The next moment, the long sabre was drawn.
Just then, golden light rose from the foot of the cliff, so blinding it was as if a blazing sun was ascending.
A golden divine form appeared, taller than the main peak of Quanrong Mountain, with twelve pairs of arms, a golden-red flame mark on its brow, and a blazing sun hovering behind its head.
Each of the twelve pairs of arms wielded a different artefact, sabre, sword, pestle, stupa tower, banner, staff, bell, and so on.
Its aura was as heavy as a mountain, as boundless as the sea.
All who saw this divine form could not control themselves, even their knees buckled, and they collapsed in trembling prostration.
Shenshu?!
Xu Qi’an shuddered violently, feeling a pressure from this higher existence.
Pupils dilating, he saw that this divine form was almost identical to the appearance revealed by Shenshu in Chuzhou City when slaying Zhenbei King.
Twelve pairs of arms, the fiery halo behind the head, the blazing mark on the brow, the only difference was, Shenshu’s aspect was pitch-black and held no artefacts in the hands.
Two sides of the same coin.
Bang!
The peerless sabre formed by the old man struck the Asura Vajra, but failed to kill him, as one of those twelve arms held up a golden bell, which shielded the Asura Vajra.
…
“The Vajra Dharma Aspect!”
Xu Yuanshuang heard a gentle laugh behind her, the voice uncannily familiar.
Her delicate body trembled, she spun around and saw a white-clad figure standing with hands clasped behind his back, smiling.
“Dad?”
Xu Yuanshuang cried out in shock.
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