After the cold, emotionless eyes took form, clear qi then outlined the figure. Suddenly, a fierce wind swept in, causing the robes to billow dramatically. The image of a scholar with flowing sleeves appeared before Xu Pingfeng and the others.
The heroic soul of the Confucian Sage had returned to the mortal world, and the terrifying pressure descended like a landslide, a tidal wave, the very sky collapsing.
Because the distance was so close, the three people and one beast were directly exposed to the Confucian Sage’s gaze.
Baidi’s limbs shook uncontrollably. It seemed to have completely reverted to being a beast, arching its back, baring its fangs in a snarl, emitting a warning growl from its throat.
Xu Pingfeng and Helian retreated again and again. As second rank, they dared not show off their strength at this moment.
Agaruka Bodhisattva, relying on the might of his Vajra Dharma Aspect and the defence of the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect, stood firm as the most resilient of the first ranks, like a reef withstanding the crashing waves.
As the heroic soul of the Confucian Sage took full form, a crack split open on the Jianzheng’s brow, and blood streamed down.
His physical body began its slide toward collapse, a price that had to be paid.
He took a step forward and extended the carving knife in his hand, aiming first at Agaruka Bodhisattva.
The heroic soul of the Confucian Sage behind him made the same movement synchronously, as if he were the Jianzheng’s strongest support.
Agaruka Bodhisattva remained motionless, his kasaya fluttering like a banner, all his muscles bulging, thick veins standing out under his skin.
Although he did not move, the Vajra Dharma Aspect behind him strode forward and blocked the way before Agaruka Bodhisattva.
The carving knife stabbed forward, neither hurried nor slow, as though unconcerned if the enemy ran.
The Vajra Dharma Aspect’s twelve pairs of arms pressed together, forming twenty-four joined palms and clamped the Jianzheng and his carving knife between them.
Meanwhile, the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect sat cross-legged behind the Vajra Dharma Aspect, forming hand seals. A circular qi barrier took form, shielding Agaruka Bodhisattva within.
Suddenly, the twelve pairs of arms on the Vajra Dharma Aspect began to tremble, as if unable to withstand the thrust of the carving knife.
Boom!
The flaming wheel behind the Vajra Dharma Aspect’s head swelled and erupted in blinding flames.
The trembling arms steadied once more.
But in the next instant, the twenty-four giant hands cracked, then the arms, then its body… the Vajra Dharma Aspect, renowned for its defence and prowess, shattered inch by inch.
The unleashed energy from the collapsing Dharma Aspect rampaged in all directions, dispersing the sea of clouds below and exposing the boundless land.
Holding the carving knife, the Jianzheng stabbed, unhurried as ever, at the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect’s bulging shield.
Buzz!
At the point where the pale-gold barrier met the carving knife, a twisted, chaotic energy erupted forth.
A white light silently approached the Jianzheng from behind, launching a sneak attack.
In Baidi’s azure, vertical pupils, there was nothing but a beast-like madness, all intelligence had vanished.
It suppressed its spirituality, unleashing the madness of the god-demon blood in its very bones to counteract the Confucian Sage’s oppression.
A mad descendant of gods and demons knew no fear.
Furthermore, even with its mind suppressed so it could no longer cast spells, this did not diminish its combat power. The body of a god-demon descendant was, if anything, mightier than even that of a martial artist, and their close-quarters killing ability was truly terrifying.
The Jianzheng raised his left hand and flicked his Confucian cap with a “pop,” saying gently,
“Retreat five hundred li.”
Just as Baidi, its fangs bared as if to pounce, was about to reach the Jianzheng, it abruptly vanished, as if it had never existed.
Of course, this was not the Jianzheng mastering Confucian “Laws Follow Commandments,” but using the power of the Confucian cap to invoke Confucian magic.
However, without a high-ranking cultivator of the same system to wield it, the cap’s power was limited, and with Baidi’s extremely high rank, the Jianzheng could not use its power to attack Baidi directly.
Because it simply could not threaten Baidi.
But the nature of Confucianism was never in attack, rather, “flowery tricks” was its essence.
For the moment, having kicked Baidi out of the battlefield, the Jianzheng, still grasping the carving knife, took another powerful step forward.
The shield conjured by the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect dramatically caved in.
It was not that the Immovable Lord was not powerful enough. Just the opposite, under the Confucian Sage’s heroic soul, it had endured until now. Agaruka Bodhisattva was renowned as the strongest in defence beneath Beyond-rank, his reputation was well-deserved.
Off in the distance, Xu Pingfeng opened a brocade pouch and pulled out a huge cannon, nine feet tall, the barrel ten feet long, made wholly of black iron and densely inscribed with formation patterns.
As a second rank, he could not face the Confucian Sage’s might up close, but as an Arcanist, long-range attacks were his best forte.
Array lines lit up one after another as the formation began to draw in surrounding spiritual power. At the dark mouth of the cannon, a blazing, fist-sized white orb condensed, collapsing ever inward.
Leveraging Heaven and Earth’s power through formation, this was the Arcanist’s trademark technique.
Boom!
When the collapse reached its limit, the cannon erupted, launching a pillar of blazing white light.
Seeing the beam about to strike the Jianzheng, a twisting array of clear light suddenly interposed itself in the projectile’s path.
The shell, which could seriously injure a third rank warrior, struck the array and vanished as if thrown into the sea.
The next second, from the void behind Xu Pingfeng, a blazing white beam shot out, swallowing him whole.
The Jianzheng had used a teleportation array to return to sender.
Buzz!
The void beside the Jianzheng shivered as another pillar of light shot forth, about to blast his face.
And Xu Pingfeng was not swallowed by the beam behind him, he had copied the Jianzheng’s trick, turning the tactic back on its user.
Thus, the white light flashed back and forth between master and disciple, appearing, vanishing, reappearing, and vanishing yet again.
Until the Jianzheng finally sent it to Daoist Helian in the distance. With no danger sense, Helian was caught completely off guard, and could not but reveal his Daoist Immortal Yang Spirit, tearing the blast apart.
At last, the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect could not hold on. The Confucian Sage’s carving knife pierced the barrier. Amidst the energies of the shattered Dharma Aspect, the carving knife pressed to Agaruka Bodhisattva’s brow.
A flash of azure light.
“Pop!” Agaruka Bodhisattva’s head exploded, bones and flesh flying apart.
His eight-foot-tall body instantly slackened and fell backward, plummeting toward the vast earth below.
At the same moment, a mist of blood burst from the Jianzheng’s chest, the Confucian Sage’s power was destroying his own body.
The Jianzheng paid no heed to his condition, nor did he attack Xu Pingfeng or Helian. Instead, he turned and stabbed his carving knife once more.
A white shadow flashed past him.
It transformed into Baidi, who tumbled wildly like a kicked stray dog, shedding blood as it flew.
Xu Pingfeng caught him with an upraised hand, conjuring a round array to cushion Baidi’s impact.
Baidi’s azure, fierce eyes were filled with madness. There was a deep gash in its abdomen, nearly disembowelled, its intestines hanging out.
But in its mouth, it gripped a heart, the Jianzheng’s heart.
Baidi lifted its head, swallowed the heart whole without chewing, and after a few seconds, the madness faded from its eyes, spirituality regrowing as reason returned.
Baidi’s expression froze for a moment, apparently surprised at regaining reason so quickly.
After a brief pause, realisation dawned. It looked at the Jianzheng, eyes burning with greed.
The Jianzheng slowly lowered his head and looked at the gaping hole in his chest, the heart missing within.
Strike when the enemy is down… savage light flashed in Helian’s eyes as his Yang Spirit instantly split into four. The four forms of the Yang Spirit were all different.
One was pitch black, hair like writhing fronds, surrounded by a mist infused with water-qi; one was entirely crimson, a flame mark on its brow, hair blazing with fire.
One seemed to be formed of air currents, unstable, its body constantly shifting, sometimes tilting, sometimes elongating, as if it would dissolve into wild wind at any second.
One was covered in stone armour, massive and burly, rings of earth-yellow ripples spreading from it.
The four great Aspects of Daoism: earth, wind, water, fire.
A second rank Transcending Tribulation cultivated exactly these four Aspects. Once they attained great perfection, the four would merge into one, and heavenly tribulation would arrive.
Enduring the tribulation, fusing Aspect and physical body to perfection, they would attain the immortal status of an Earthly Immortal.
Helian should already have reached second rank completion, but with Jinlian separated from his body, he became “incomplete”, not only was tribulation impossible, but even his strength dropped a tier.
The four Aspects had no will of their own, acting only under Helian’s control, and as puppets, they did not fear the Confucian Sage’s pressure.
A porcelain bottle flew out from the pouch on the Jianzheng’s waist of its own accord, the cork popping open. A golden pill shot into his mouth.
At once, the flesh at his chest writhed and a new heart regenerated.
Arcanists, though lacking the warriors’ regenerative ability, could spend spiritual power, always keeping life-restoring pills on hand.
Wait for the right moment… Helian silently recalled his Aspects, choosing to observe.
“So you really are the gatekeeper!”
Baidi laughed. The wound in its belly would not heal, the carving knife’s power was eating away at its vitality.
In contrast, after taking the pill, the Jianzheng was like a dying man who had been revived, briefly restored to his peak.
“Do not move!”
The Jianzheng raised a hand, flicking the Confucian cap.
This time, the Confucian Sage’s phantom echoed the gesture.
Baidi’s body suddenly sank and froze in place.
The Jianzheng stepped forward and, as simply as before, stabbed out with the Confucian Sage’s carving knife, just as he had done with Agaruka a moment ago.
Crackle! The two horns on Baidi’s head each sparked: one with an electric arc, one gathering a ball of dark light.
Lightning and water power met between the horns, forming an orb of black at the core, encased by electric light.
At the moment the carving knife struck, Baidi exerted all his strength, regaining a sliver of bodily control. Head raised, horns met the carving knife head-on.
Blinding light erupted. Bolts of electricity, as thick as serpents, whipped and lashed everywhere.
Water-qi surged like a broken dam, flooding outwards.
The Confucian Sage’s carving knife pressed on, breaking through the twin energy storms and piercing Baidi’s skull.
“Roar…”
It let out a heartrending howl.
Even a god-demon descendant could not withstand the heroic soul of the Confucian Sage.
Just as Baidi was about to follow in Agaruka’s footsteps, in the west, a blazing sun suddenly rose.
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