A beyond-mortal martial artist brimmed with vitality and possessed the ability to regenerate severed limbs. No matter how dreadful the wounds to their body appeared, at most they would only deplete vitality and blood, and were not enough to truly kill a beyond-mortal martial artist.
However, if the primordial spirit was erased and completely dissipated, only then would the beyond-mortal martial artist truly die, leaving behind an “undying” shell.
Across all the major disciplines, there were only two means of killing a beyond-mortal martial artist:
First, by inflicting blows repeatedly to wear down vitality and blood, until the martial artist was spent, then dismembering and sealing the remains.
Second, by using special means to extract the martial artist’s primordial spirit, then slowly refining and erasing it over time, resulting in the martial artist’s death. At that point, only an empty shell would remain.
Of course, extracting a martial artist’s primordial spirit was no easy matter. Only the Daoist and Warlock systems could attempt this, and even then, success was far from guaranteed.
As for the way Shenshu dealt with al-Asura, it was purely a matter of crushing power through their difference in rank, crude and straightforward, entirely lacking in technical skill.
Something’s amiss. That strike from Shenshu was indeed powerful, but a purely physical attack isn’t sufficient to extinguish al-Asura’s primordial spirit… Inside Xu Qi’an’s loose trouser legs, innumerable black insects crawled out and vanished.
“Whoosh, whoosh!”
Prayer beads shot over from the left like a swarm of brilliant, multicoloured fireflies, magnificent and dazzling.
Xu Qi’an was about to raise his sabre to block when his vision suddenly shifted, the bloodstained city walls, the bodies strewn across the ground, the towering mountains, all faded away.
In their place, there appeared rows upon rows of towering buildings, a forest of reinforced concrete, endless streams of vehicles, an image brimming with a modern atmosphere.
Clang, clang, clang…
Sharp impacts startled him awake, the scene from his previous life shattered, and reality returned to his sight.
The Taiping Sabre and Sovereign Sword manipulated their master to block part of the incoming prayer beads, while Bear King swatted away the rest with a sweep of his claws.
The giant panda’s paws were bloody and mangled, and under the corrosion of Executioner Phala’s power, the wounds would not heal quickly.
At the same time, far off, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox raised a hand and pressed down, sending a surging gust of qi from the heavens to press down upon the prayer beads infused with the Executioner Phala’s power, freezing them midair. No matter how they quivered, it was futile.
“Many thanks!”
Xu Qi’an, coming back to himself, cupped his hands towards Bear King.
The Taiping Sabre buzzed angrily, conveying an emotion of “anger”, reproaching its master for becoming distracted in the midst of a fight.
You’re a mature sabre now, you ought to learn to wield your master properly in battle… Xu Qi’an thus consoled it. Just as he was about to refocus on al-Asura’s situation, the distant Yao temptress with silver hair and fox ears laughed:
“You’ve gotten smaller again, how frightening. Stay here in the Southern Marches and become my son.”
Only then did Xu Qi’an notice that his tightened trouser legs and belt had loosened again; his age had regressed once more, and he had become a ten-year-old boy.
Moreover, both his fortune and vitality had declined greatly, and his fighting strength had diminished even more severely.
This… His pupils contracted slightly as he said sharply:
“Will I just keep getting younger?”
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox nodded, communicating telepathically:
“For the next four hours, you will continue getting younger until you become an infant. This is the reversal aspect of the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect. If it were in its normal rotation, it would age the target instead.
“But whether it’s you or me, we are both at our peak. If it were the positive rotation, with our lifespans, fighting till tomorrow would not necessarily see us aging. But with reversal, how long has it been since you became beyond-mortal?”
Once more, Xu Qi’an realised just how terrifying the Nine Great Dharma Aspects were.
They might not excel at attack, but each possessed their own mysterious and unpredictable abilities.
“Can the Samsara Dharma Aspect make people remember their past?” Xu Qi’an asked, considering the matter.
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox answered telepathically:
“It’s said that the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect can make one recall their past and present lives. Whether that’s true or not, who can say?”
She turned to look at Shenshu, loudly reminding:
“Shenshu, devour al-Asura’s blood essence.”
Lest anything untoward happen in time.
Dead or alive, devouring his blood essence meant al-Asura would surely perish.
Once al-Asura was dealt with, there would be no further surprises or complications in this battle.
Meanwhile, the ten-year-old boy and the mature, bewitching woman wordlessly sought out their own opponents to entangle.
Shenshu let out a buzzing, eerie laugh, picked up al-Asura’s headless body, and conjured a vortex from his palm, absorbing al-Asura’s life force.
Before their eyes, the Asura King’s youthful son’s jet-black figure rapidly withered and shrivelled.
At that moment, a “卍” symbol lit up on the surface of al-Asura’s black body, slowly rotating, and al-Asura’s primordial spirit manifested behind Shenshu, bearing a metallic halo behind its head.
At the centre of the halo was a “卍” symbol, and the outer rim was engraved with “Heaven, Man, Beast, Asura, Hungry Ghost, Hell”.
The Great Samsara Dharma Aspect!
Clack clack clack!
The wheel turned, and the word “Asura” lit up. A ray of golden light enveloped both Shenshu and al-Asura.
Shenshu’s mighty frame abruptly froze, the vortex vanished, and al-Asura’s “dried corpse” tumbled to the ground.
At the same moment, the image of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, seated cross-legged high in the air, dissolved into fragments of light.
The next instant, he appeared before Shenshu.
The golden light he had sent into al-Asura’s body moments earlier was the power of the Samsara Dharma Aspect. Taking advantage of al-Asura’s proximity, he brought the power of the Dharma Aspect down upon Shenshu.
Shenshu remained frozen, statue-like, oblivious to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
“Who am… I…?”
A bewildered murmur came from within Shenshu’s chest.
Under the moonlight, with collapsed city walls and corpses everywhere.
The cold, clear moonlight shone upon this desolate chaos. With the Western Region defenders and the Yao army long since retreated, the spot was eerily quiet, only the crackling of flames accompanied Shenshu’s uncertain self-questioning.
The samsara wheel turned slowly, reminiscent of a massive xenon lamp, its golden light continuously bathing Shenshu.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva pressed his palms together, face full of compassion:
“Oh rootless one, may you find your belonging within the wheel of reincarnation!”
His figure hovered between transparency and illusion, as if his strength was about to run out.
Shenshu gradually quietened. His left hand hesitated, then folded in prayer, and a calm voice sounded from his chest:
“Amitabha…”
The sound suddenly broke off, as he fought against a certain instinct, the instinct to take refuge in Buddhism.
Xu Qi’an and the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox exchanged glances, each seeing astonishment in the other’s eyes.
The effect of the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect upon Shenshu had taken them by surprise.
Had the Dharma Aspect stirred Shenshu’s past memories, awakening his Buddha-nature? Xu Qi’an thought of the modern city he had just witnessed, and had a suspicion.
Suddenly, al-Asura’s headless corpse leapt up, spinning through the air with a roundhouse kick.
Crack! It was as if the air had exploded with a kick, a terrifying burst of qi detonated from the tip of the foot, instantly tearing Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s body apart.
With that kick, the energy of this avatar was completely scattered.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s sigh echoed in the night sky, the Wheel of Samsara collapsed into golden light, and al-Asura’s primordial spirit returned to his body.
Al-Asura’s mangled body slowly stood up, cells multiplying frantically, flesh squirming. First, the spine grew, then the neck bones were restored, followed by the skull “growing” from the vertebrae. Once the skeleton was complete, tender red flesh rapidly covered it, then came the pitch-black skin.
The first thing he did upon being resurrected was to shatter more than a dozen corpse gu within himself.
“Well done!”
The Nine-Tailed Fox glanced sideways and gave the little boy a smile.
After al-Asura had “died,” Xu Qi’an, who was exceptionally sensitive to corpses, sensed an opportunity and immediately split off child gu from the corpse gu, quietly infiltrating him.
Of course, infiltrating did not equate to controlling or transforming.
With the present realm of the corpse gu, it was impossible to fully control the body of someone of second rank, but manipulating him into making a few simple offensive moves was not difficult.
That was how that kick, which had shattered Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s avatar, had come about.
The little boy smiled back at her. Now that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s avatar had dissipated and al-Asura had been seriously injured, only Arhat Du’e remained battle-ready.
With the influence of the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect gone, Shenshu was still in a dazed state, muttering:
“Who am I, who am I…”
The Nine-Tailed Fox called out loudly:
“You are Shenshu, you are the Asura King, the indomitable warrior of the Asura race.”
Her melodious voice echoed out.
“The Asura King…”
Shenshu calmed somewhat, but suddenly began to mutter again, “Who am I, who is the Asura King, I can’t remember…”
His confused muttering gradually turned into an irritable roar:
“Who am I?! Who on earth am I!!”
The Nine-Tailed Fox kept repeating, “You are Shenshu, the Asura King,” but to no avail.
She and Xu Qi’an exchanged glances, realising something was wrong.
Shenshu had lost control.
“Could the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect suppress Shenshu?”
Xu Qi’an slowly turned his head to look at the silver-haired enchantress.
The silver-haired enchantress frowned deeply.
“Do you think that’s possible?”
Given Shenshu’s status and strength, the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect might weaken or influence him, but could never truly suppress him.
Unless the problem lay within Shenshu himself… A chill came over Xu Qi’an as he suddenly realised something.
If, on that day, al-Asura had held back out of personal motives, seeking something for himself, rather than Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s true body appearing to wipe out the Yao clan…
Then, why did Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, who knew about Shenshu’s remains, only send an avatar today?
Could he have been so confident that merely with an avatar and two second ranks, he could hold Shenshu at bay? Especially with Xu Qi’an, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and the Bear King present?
Now, watching the crazed state Shenshu was in, Xu Qi’an understood the answer.
The Great Samsara Dharma Aspect was only a trigger. It had provoked Shenshu’s “madness.” As for the reason why, Xu Qi’an had not yet figured it out.
Neither he nor the Nine-Tailed Fox truly understood Shenshu.
The one who understood this half-step Martial God best was the Buddhist sect.
“Who on earth am I?!”
A terrifying demonic voice reverberated throughout Wanyao Mountain. Within Shenshu, a mass of blood light suddenly surged forth, expanding rapidly, engulfing everything in its path.
The five beyond-mortal experts present all shot into the air, retreating swiftly.
The blood light swelled into a ball a hundred feet in diameter, and then exploded with a boom.
Floating high above, the five extraordinary experts watched as the entire wooded mountaintop bent in unison, and every civilian house near the city wall collapsed completely.
On the west side of the southern city, a wave of fire shifted as countless tiny, ant-like figures fled in panic towards the city gate.
Those retreating warrior monks, Zen masters, and city guards struggled to maintain order.
As the blood light dissipated, a towering Dharma Aspect, two hundred feet tall, slowly straightened its back.
Its body was jet black, with twelve pairs of muscular arms sprouting from its back, a black flame marking glimmered between its brows, and a blazing halo burned behind its head.
Its face was like a sculpture, utterly expressionless.
It seemed the embodiment of strength and evil, every inch of flesh filled with terrifying brute force and saturated in a twisted, horrific psychic corruption.
Xu Qi’an felt as if he’d fallen into an icy cavern, his whole body frozen, pores flaring, cold sweat pouring down his skin.
It wasn’t a result of the mental contamination; rather, he realised he was being targeted.
Shenshu had locked onto him.
Shenshu has gone mad, desperate to make himself whole, and I carry his severed arm within him… Understanding dawned in Xu Qi’an’s heart.
The next moment, a gigantic shadow enveloped him.
That Dharma Aspect, two hundred feet tall, appeared before him without a sound. Its twelve pairs of arms balled into fists and struck out all at once.
So fast, there’s no time to shadow-jump… Xu Qi’an made a snap decision, activating the suppressive power of the Stupa Tower, as golden lacquer flared between his brows, instantly flooding his entire body, while the fire halo behind his head exploded with a rumble.
Simultaneously, the Strength Gu went berserk. His muscles swelled, making his frame twice as large.
The Taiping Sabre and the Sovereign Sword slashed out in a cross.
Bang!
Sabre and sword were sent flying, soaring into the distance.
Gold and fire exploded in a tangle, and the Vajra divine technique collapsed on the spot.
Xu Qi’an’s vision went black, he lost consciousness for an instant. When he came to, he realised his body was hurtling uncontrollably through the air, as fast as a meteor.
Both arms had lost all sensation, hanging uselessly, every bone in his body shattered, not a spot unbroken.
Boom!
He crashed heavily into a distant mountain, causing a landslide.
Just as Shenshu’s Dharma Aspect was about to pursue, his colossal body stiffened, began trembling violently as though struck repeatedly with a wooden club.
Broken Jade!
Xu Qi’an had rebounded the harm, breaking Shenshu’s rhythm and earning himself a brief respite.
“Amitabha.”
On the other side, Arhat Du’e pressed his palms together and said calmly, “Benefactor Nine-Tailed Fox, Shenshu is not someone you can control. You have no idea how terrifying he is.”
The Nine-Tailed Fox’s eyes flashed red as she stared coldly at al-Asura and Du’e:
“Using his own spear to attack his own shield, well played, Buddhists. I do not understand why Shenshu has lost control like this.”
Al-Asura said slowly:
“Only Samantabhadra Bodhisattva knows that.”
As they spoke, he and Arhat Du’e flanked the Nine-Tailed Fox left and right.
“You’re right, Shenshu is indeed not someone I can control, but neither can any of you. Do you understand what it means to play with fire?”
The silver-haired enchantress was completely unflustered, smiling sweetly:
“You all are underestimating Xu Qi’an.”
At this moment, Shenshu’s Dharma Aspect looked around above the collapsed mountainside, appearing to have lost its target, unable to sense any trace of his own severed limb.
Driven by the instinct to make himself whole and a thirst for blood, he slowly turned and set his sights on the three beyond-mortal experts.
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