Arhat Du’e, the Bear King, al-Asura, and the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox all broke out in a cold sweat.
Especially the latter three, who possessed danger sense, every cell in their body roared, every nerve transmitting signals of peril.
As martial artists, their qi and blood were even thicker and purer than that of Arhat Du’e, making them Shenshu’s primary targets.
Al-Asura quietly tensed his body, his powerful muscles stretching in silence as he gathered strength.
He could keenly sense that he was Shenshu’s primary prey; the Asura blood was lethally attractive to Shenshu.
Suddenly, the towering Dharma Aspect in the distance vanished from everyone’s sight.
In the next moment, twelve arms stretched out from behind al-Asura, like the fangs of a Venus flytrap opening wide.
No one knew when Shenshu’s Dharma Aspect had appeared behind al-Asura, its black face expressionless, yet more terrifying than any overt threat.
Al-Asura silently collapsed downward, slipping away from beneath the “encirclement” of those hellish arms before they could close around him.
A faint golden radiance flashed in al-Asura’s eyes, Heaven Sight.
It was exactly this ability that had allowed him to anticipate Shenshu’s movement and react in time. Otherwise, he would have ended up like Xu Qi’an.
While falling, a brilliant halo appeared behind al-Asura’s head, speaking in a deep voice:
“The First Precept: Do not kill!”
Arhat Du’e pressed his palms together, the halo behind his head shining out as he echoed calmly,
“The First Precept: Do not kill!”
All of a sudden, the evil aura emanating from Shenshu’s Dharma Aspect abated, its mental contamination slackening a little.
With the combined effort of the two Arhats, they were finally able to barely influence Shenshu.
At that moment, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox hesitated briefly. If she let Shenshu slay al-Asura, the latter would be doomed. With only Arhat Du’e left, no further disruption could arise.
But if she chose this route, she would have to lead the Yao in fleeing from the Southern Marches, or else they too would become Shenshu’s prey.
Furthermore, this meant the Yao would lose the “use” of Shenshu. without Shenshu, even if they regained Wanyao Mountain, it would inevitably fall again to the Buddhists.
No, a berserk Shenshu would follow his instincts and unleash slaughter in the Southern Marches to devour fresh blood, turning this land into a forbidden region of Jiuzhou.
Then, the Yao would not even be able to seize back Wanyao Mountain.
She immediately understood the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s true intent: in the face of the rising Yao, The Buddhists’ real countermeasure was to use the power of the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect to drive Shenshu mad, transforming the Southern Marches into a forbidden zone, ensuring the Yao’s restoration would fail.
After that, they would aid the Yunzhou rebels in toppling the Great Feng and resolving the war in the Central Plains.
Once Xu Pingfeng had advanced to first rank Arcanist and Agaruka Bodhisattva became available, the two would have hands free to suppress Shenshu, re-sealing and dismembering him, and by then, the Hundred Thousand Mountains would still be in Buddhist hands.
Although she now grasped the Buddhist Sect’s plan, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox still could not understand why the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect rendered Shenshu uncontrollable.
But no matter what, the most important thing at the moment was to seal Shenshu or restore his reason.
Otherwise, all would be lost.
Her eight fox tails surged in the wind, swelling into massive pythons that blotted out the sky. The serpents swept through the night, tightly coiling around the immobilised Shenshu.
Shenshu’s twelve arms exerted force, slowly prizing apart the fox tails that bound him.
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox’s snow-white face flushed red, her body trembling, veins taut on her temples.
Both sides were vying with all their strength.
Fortunately, she was a Yao, her strength unparalleled. Any other system’s top experts would not even qualify to wrestle with Shenshu.
Seizing the opportunity, al-Asura let out a deep roar. The halo behind his head collapsed back into his body, and a moment later, a dazzling, multicoloured Sharira rose from the crown of his head.
This was the Sharira symbolising the Executioner Phala.
Al-Asura reached out, grasped the Sharira in his palm, and his fist shone with radiant light, illuminating the night in myriad hues.
He was not just invoking the power of the Executioner Phala, he meant to stake everything against Shenshu.
In that instant, the territory of Wanyao Mountain was filled with a chilling murderous qi.
The trees, birds, and beasts died silently, all slain.
“Ha!”
With al-Asura’s furious roar, his radiant fist struck Shenshu’s brow with unerring precision.
Between heaven and earth, brilliant ripples spread, reflecting the landscape below in surreal light.
The flame ring at the back of Shenshu’s head exploded, and his brow split like porcelain, breaking the fiery imprint.
The furious Shenshu let out a deafening roar.
Bang, bang, bang! The eight fox tails entwining the Dharma Aspect snapped one after another, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox’s face turned snow-white in an instant, as if suffering immense injury.
The broken tails did not fall, but instead, as if alive, flew back to her and reattached themselves.
Shenshu’s twelve arms closed in from all sides, layered upon layer, trapping al-Asura in his palm.
At this moment, a golden Sharira floated from above Arhat Du’e’s head, hanging motionless.
“The First Wish, may al-Asura stand at my side.”
As his words fell, al-Asura, who should have been enveloped by the vast grasp, materialised by Arhat Du’e’s side.
Bang!
Amidst overlapping bursts of energy, Shenshu’s palms slapped together, but struck nothing at all.
Nanfa Temple possessed a Sharira, the “Worthy One” Phala.
It was left behind by the first abbot of Nanfa Temple upon reincarnation and re-cultivation. On the night Xu Qi’an and Sun Xuanji fought for Shenshu’s legs, al-Asura had once made a wish on this Worthy One Sharira, to request a helper identical to himself.
For hundreds of years, that Sharira had been worshipped at Nanfa Temple, purified by incense.
Sincere offerings from true believers accumulated wish power.
When wish power was sufficient, the Worthy One Phala could fulfil the devotee’s wish “within reasonable bounds”.
Wish power was highly exclusive, it only rewarded the one who made the offering.
Arhat Du’e had not offered worship for long, so his wish power was limited and could only grant five wishes, hence he had always kept it in reserve as a trump card.
And of course, those five wishes had to remain within reasonable limits; anything excessive would not be fulfilled.
At that moment, the black-and-white furred Bear King charged at Shenshu at full speed like a giant, fat battering ram.
Bang!
With both claws, the Bear King struck Shenshu’s brow, deepening the crack.
Shenshu, under attack, instinctively swung a fist, “bam!” squarely hitting the Bear King’s round belly.
The punch force penetrated the beast’s body, erupting behind as a wild wind.
The Bear King, like Xu Qi’an earlier, shot off like a cannonball, crashing into the distant mountains and causing a landslide.
Arhat Du’e did not rest. As the Bear King assailed the Dharma Aspect, ninety-nine prayer beads shot from his sleeve, clinking and clattering together in a line, the shape of a fine sword.
A sword glittering with dazzling light.
With a shove of his palm, the slender sword howled through the air, turning into a stream of colour.
He brought his palms together again and said,
“The Second Wish, may this strike’s power double.”
Boom!
Thunderclouds gathered in the night sky. A thick, tree-like bolt of lightning descended, fusing with the beaded sword.
The sword’s speed soared, dragging silvery arcs behind like sharp whistling wind, piercing straight through Shenshu’s brow.
The Dharma Aspect’s head exploded, without flesh or blood, dissipating into raw energy.
The headless Dharma Aspect froze where it stood.
…
To save their insane old father, daughter and son joined forces with an old monk twice their age… and blew their father’s head off. Watching from some ruined spot, Xu Qi’an couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
What filial piety…
“Funny seeing you here.”
He addressed the Bear King, who had just regained consciousness.
After being flattened by Shenshu’s punch, Xu Qi’an had used Broken Jade to disrupt his attacks, then employed the Heaven Gu’s “Shifting Constellations” to conceal his presence, and then leaped into the shadows to hide among the deep forest.
That way he escaped Shenshu’s pursuit and lured Arhat Du’e and al-Asura to reap the consequences themselves.
Just as he was enjoying the show, the Bear King went flying into view.
“…Ow, owww…”
The Bear King groaned softly.
“No matter, take your time. I’ve already shielded your presence,” Xu Qi’an assured him.
“Why not use your tower? It can heal you.”
The Bear King gazed at him with beady eyes, a bit dopey, and looking especially pitiable with blood dribbling from his mouth.
“That would give away my location.”
…Fair enough. Satisfied with the explanation, the Bear King could only heal himself and recover from his injuries.
By this stage, under normal circumstances, Xu Qi’an could have slipped away easily, having successfully diverted disaster and even eliminating either al-Asura or Du’e.
Shenshu must be calmed down and fall under the Yao’s control. Only then can the southern Yao hold on in the following war for the Hundred Thousand Mountains, keeping the Buddhists bogged down. If I leave now, that’s where it all falls apart, winning the battle but losing the war.
Contending in wits and courage with all these big players is tiring. Every time I must anticipate ten moves ahead.
He believed that the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox understood this too, hence why she had stepped up to restrain Shenshu, temporarily joining forces with Arhat Du’e and al-Asura.
But the problem is, al-Asura and Du’e are both surely thinking about retreating by now… he mused inwardly.
With careful observation, Xu Qi’an noticed that after losing control, Shenshu fought entirely on instinct.
Without any technique.
When he was attacked by the Bear King, he instinctively fought back rather than taking the chance to control him and then devour his essence blood.
It’s much better when they have no brains, they’re far easier to deal with without one…
At this moment, he saw the head of the Dharma Aspect of Shenshu re-form, still with that expressionless face.
The five beyond-mortal experts present, three in the air, two in the forest, suddenly felt their hearts sink.
This was a half-step Martial God!
Even incomplete, even fighting purely on instinct, he was still a half-step Martial God.
Truly a coarse martial artist… Xu Qi’an gritted his teeth and finally understood the gnashing frustration other systems felt when facing beyond-mortal martial artists.
One should not be fooled by how well Al-Asura, Du’e, the Bear King, and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox worked together just now, smashing the head of the Dharma Aspect with overwhelming force; Shenshu had barely taken any real damage.
But the margin of error on their side was extremely small. At the slightest slip, the Dharma Aspect would seize them and drain their essence blood on the spot.
Wasn’t this the same feeling other beyond-mortal experts had when they fought a beyond-mortal warrior?
Al-Asura looked at the Dharma Aspect, divine and demonic in equal measure, and spoke hastily:
“Wish on the Sharira to leave this place.”
With the status of the “Worthy One” phala, simulating a teleportation array was easy.
Arhat Du’e had already abandoned the idea of continued fighting and, without any more hesitation, spoke his third wish:
“My third wish, to return to Ananda with Al-Asura.”
The Sharira lit up, then dimmed again.
Both men were still in place, nothing had happened.
Only then did everyone realise the night had become pitch-black, as dark as ink, with the moon nowhere to be seen.
Al-Asura’s face changed instantly, and he slowly said:
“The Asura Domain!
“This is the domain he created, he’s recovered part of his memory.”
The Asura Domain was a combat technique created by the previous Asura King, and was unique to him. Even his son, al-Asura, had not mastered it.
Within this domain, prey could not escape until they killed their enemy or were killed.
Arhat Du’e’s expression grew grave.
This meant they could not extricate themselves. They either had to deal with Shenshu, or be dealt with by him. Judging by the gap in their combat power, it was obvious it was far more likely to be the latter.
Asura Domain… The Nine-Tailed Fox had a thought, and called out loudly:
“Shenshu, you are the Asura King; the Asura King is Shenshu!”
She tried to deepen Shenshu’s self-awareness, hoping to awaken his sanity.
But there was no effect. The Dharma Aspect remained unmoved. He half-turned, facing Al-Asura, all twelve arms spread wide.
…
Killing Shenshu is unrealistic, impossible, and we can’t suppress him either. What should we do…
Xu Qi’an began to examine himself, reviewing his treasures, patrons, and means one by one in his mind.
At last, he thought of the demon-sealing nails!
The demon-sealing nails definitely can’t seal Shenshu, otherwise he wouldn’t have been dismembered and sealed by the Buddhist Sect. But it should be able to suppress him. The problem is, how do I get the demon-sealing nails into his body…
As the idea spun in his mind, Xu Qi’an suddenly felt drowsy. Turning his head, he saw the Bear King about to fall asleep.
Bloody hell, almost fell at your hand… He broke out in a cold sweat, hastily jumped on the Bear King’s back, and slapped it hard a few times.
The Bear King jolted awake, and grumbled reluctantly:
“I’m sleepy. Sometimes I just can’t control it.”
Xu Qi’an’s mind flickered with inspiration, and he said,
“Don’t sleep just yet. I’ll tell you when it’s time.”
The Bear King nodded, “I’ll do my best.”
Xu Qi’an used shadow jumping to get closer to the forest beneath the others. When the distance was right, he sent a long-range message with the power of the Heart Gu:
“I have a way to subdue him…”
Al-Asura, Du’e, and the Nine-Tailed Fox all tilted their heads slightly while fighting, focusing for a moment before their eyes brightened.
Both Al-Asura and Du’e suddenly had magnificent halos light up behind their heads.
They synchronised their hands into prayer, their tones unison:
“The First Precept: Do not kill!”
The two second-ranks joined forces once again, imposing a Buddhist precept.
The unstoppable fist of Shenshu immediately stalled, but in less than a second he broke free from the precept’s effect.
In this brief time, eight fox tails, thick as pythons, wrapped themselves around the towering Dharma Aspect.
Meanwhile, Xu Qi’an lifted the giant panda high and shot out of the forest, hurling the panda at Shenshu with all his might.
The panda landed thirty feet from Shenshu, suspended in mid-air, and fell fast asleep.
Shenshu’s Dharma Aspect was wrestling with the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, slowly prising apart the restraint, when suddenly a wave of powerful drowsiness swept over him like a tide, seemingly affecting even his soul, forcing him toward slumber.
Shenshu didn’t fall asleep, but his struggles weakened noticeably.
Three layers of hard crowd control!
After throwing the giant panda, Xu Qi’an beckoned, and the Sovereign Sword flew to him from the distant woods.
With sword in hand, he became a streak of light and crashed into the Dharma Aspect’s chest.
Zzzt,
The tip of the Sovereign Sword pressed against the dark chest, throwing up sparks and emitting a shrill noise that clawed at the mind.
Break the defence, just break the defence… Xu Qi’an’s face was twisted, veins bulging at his temples as the Strength Gu made his body bulk up.
The sword tip finally broke the skin.
Arhat Du’e pressed his palms together and spoke out his fourth wish:
“For my fourth wish, let this sword pierce his chest.”
As he spoke, the Sovereign Sword’s glow surged, and with a squelch the sword pierced into flesh and blood.
That’s enough… Scalding blood splashed his face, Xu Qi’an pulled out the Sovereign Sword, a pre-prepared demon-sealing nail slipping from his sleeve to his fingers, and slammed his palm onto Shenshu’s chest.
The demon-sealing nail sank in halfway.
The agony snapped Shenshu out of his daze, and the Asura blood boiled, desperate fury giving him newfound strength.
Snap, snap, snap…
The eight thick fox tails snapped like taut ropes, making the Nine-Tailed Fox wince in pain.
Bang!
Shenshu’s fist sent Xu Qi’an flying like a tattered sandbag.
Al-Asura attacked from the left, trying to slam other half of the demon-sealing nail, but failed and was punched away too.
Next was the Nine-Tailed Fox, who had just restored her tails. She attacked from the right, but got hit twice by Shenshu and was also sent flying.
Master Shenshu, left fist for his son, right fist for his daughter, was utterly ferocious.
Arhat Du’e’s ninety-nine prayer beads were like a blaze of flowing flame, clanging against the oncoming fists.
Twenty-four hands formed an impregnable defensive circle.
Their suicidal attacks gave Xu Qi’an an opening. He slipped from the shadow beneath Shenshu’s arm, concealed his aura with Shifting Constellations, and went unnoticed.
Bang!
Xu Qi’an’s fist struck the demon-sealing nail’s head, sending it deep into Shenshu’s body.
Having done this, he immediately merged into the shadows and fled a safe distance.
Du’e, Al-Asura, and the Nine-Tailed Fox formed a triangle around Shenshu, but did not press the attack.
The Dharma Aspect remained motionless.
Apart from Arhat Du’e, all four of the remaining beyond-mortal experts had exhausted much of their energy and their fighting power had dropped considerably.
Xu Qi’an and Al-Asura were in the worst state.
The former had mostly exhausted himself resisting the power of the Great Samsara Dharma Aspect, and was now just a seven-year-old boy. As for getting punched twice by Shenshu, it hardly mattered, a mere mortal injury was all.
The latter had most of his essence blood stolen by Shenshu, and after coming back from death, had just fought desperately, leaving his qi and blood greatly depleted.
Let’s hope the demon-sealing nail restores Shenshu’s sanity, otherwise it will be a bitter struggle yet again.
Xu Qi’an muttered internally, but didn’t feel as on edge as before.
The reason was simple, the demon-sealing nail definitely suppressed and weakened Shenshu. If it failed to restore his reason, the fight would not be as prolonged and brutal as before.
If Shenshu could chant a spell to remove the demon-sealing nail himself, then it meant his mind had returned, and they would have achieved their goal.
Under their tense gazes, the domain overhead began to contract, and Shenshu’s Dharma Aspect shrank as well.
Headless and missing the right arm, Shenshu reappeared before everyone.
The Bear King was still asleep, undisturbed by anyone.
Letting Shenshu continue to be affected by the “sleep curse” was everyone’s consensus.
“Who am I, who am I…”
The muttered words came from deep within his chest.
Still not recovered?!
Arhat Du’e, Al-Asura, the Nine-Tailed Fox, and Xu Qi’an all looked instantly grim.
Then, they heard Shenshu say painfully:
“I remember now. I am not the Asura King.
“I… I am the Buddha…”
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