BXBX NOVEL Chapter 296: The Spirit of Mount Shu
Chapter 296: The Spirit of Mount Shu
Initially, both sides had many organized teams. The disciples of the Mount Shu Sect formed sword formations, and Dark King Sect disciples formed soul formations, clashing fiercely with each other. However, every time this happened, the stronger cultivator from all sides would lead people to charge into the formation set up by the other team, dispersing the crowds. As the battle dragged on, most fought on their own or in small groups of two or three.
Previously, Di Nufeng was practically invincible on this battlefield.
She incinerated enemies with the unstoppable Samadhi True Fire. Enhanced by the Phoenix Spirit Blood Jade, her simple punches and kicks sent sparks of fire splashing, causing intense damage and easily obliterating swathes of enemies.
When she was called away to save Chu Liang and headed straight to Sword Sheath Peak, the diabolical cultivators finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Although the Mount Shu Sect had the upper hand, the Four Halls of the Darkness had a large number of people. Besides Di Nufeng, who was clearly a formidable force, it wasn't easy for the cultivators to kill each other. For a time, a stalemate ensued.
As the Golden Falcon appeared in the sea of clouds and the beehive emerged from the horizon, the situation on the battlefield changed once again.
At this point, the forces of the Mount Shu Sect had already fought fiercely to this point. When the large contingents from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery and the Valley of the Three Absolutes joined the battle, the tide immediately turned!
When the petals of the Dharma Lotus Platform unfolded on the back of the Golden Falcon, each petal revealed a monk. As these monks descended, they were enveloped in a seven-colored, glazed divine light of the Transcendent Dharma Mirror.
The Immortal Art of the Buddhist sect, the Transcendent Dharma Mirror, originated from the Dharma Lotus Platform. Every disciple of the Buddhist Cloud Monastery descending from the lotus platform carried the effect of the Transcendent Dharma Mirror, which lasted for fifteen minutes!
How could the Dark King Sect fight against that?
Bear in mind, though it might seem like a long time has passed, the battle had only been going on for fifteen minutes.
The Dark King Sect lacked physical strength, whereas the monks of Buddhist Cloud Monastery were immune to divine abilities and techniques, impervious to all spells. In an instant, they descended like legendary soldiers from the heavens, throwing the diabolical cultivators into chaos.
However, despite the powerful divine abilities of the Buddhist sect, they lacked a certain killing decisiveness. Although their techniques were grand in scale, they didn't kill many enemies. The truly ruthless ones were the reinforcements from the Valley of the Three Absolutes.
From the black, beehive-like enchanted tool emerged a swarm of dark shadows. Upon closer inspection, these were not humans but a massive swarm of black curse insects, their sinister forms writhing and buzzing with malevolent energy!
These curse insects specially targeted and devoured the diabolical cultivators, latching on and burrowing into their flesh like bloodthirsty leeches. A few might not have posed a threat, but a whole swarm of curse insects, like a black cloud, left the already disorganized diabolical sect cultivators even more battered and terrified.
After a brief pause, the cultivators from the Valley of the Three Absolutes emerged, wielding billhooks, curved sabers, and other weapons that gleamed with a green light, to harvest the enemies. Their strikes were swift and decisive, showing not a hint of hesitation.
The cold, emotionless gaze in the midst of the bloodshed made the disciples of Mount Shu Sect shudder. These people from the Valley of the Three Absolutes seemed to be more ruthless and savage than the diabolical cultivators.
Among the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten, the Valley of the Three Absolutes was infamous for being both righteous and evil. Their methods were so unorthodox that they could never fit in with the other righteous immortal sects. As a result, they were often secretly mocked as a sect in the criminal world.
It was fortunate that these people were the allies of the Mount Shu Sect!
Seeing this, Chu Liang couldn't help but give a thumbs up.
Buddhist brothers are loyal! Brothers from the Valley of the Three Absolutes are reliable! We have connections in both the righteous world and the criminal world; how can the Dark King Sect compete with us?
Today's battle will teach you a lesson: the cultivation of immortality is not just about fighting and killing; it's about building relationships!"
...
Of course, no matter how much the Dark King Sect lost on the ground, the final outcome of this battle depended on the victory in the sky.
With the arrival of the Dharma Lotus Platform, the momentum of the Ksitigarbha was dramatically suppressed. The sky was now a breathtaking battlefield, split between the golden light and the black light.
In the golden light, a magnificent lotus platform emerged. Each lotus petal bestowed the Transcendent Dharma Body upon the disciples beneath it, while the old monk seated at the center gained a divine ability comparable to the Form of the Heavens and the Earth. His body grew infinitely, becoming a grand and imposing figure that matched the might of the True Form of Ksitigarbha, perfectly complementing the grandeur of the lotus platform.
In face of such a formidable enemy, the old monk slowly uttered, "It’s never too late to mend your ways."
His voice thundered across the heavens and the earth, resonating like a mighty roar. Almost all the disciples of the Dark King Sect felt an overwhelming urge to retreat. Those with lower cultivation levels even started to contemplate abandoning their life of darkness for a peaceful existence in the countryside.
Under the pressure of the lotus platform, the Ksitigarbha swiftly responded.
It slowly opened its eyes.
Boom—
When the eyes of the Ksitigarbha opened, the sun and moon lost their light!
In an instant, the southwestern lands were plunged into darkness, and the world was shrouded in an impenetrable blackness. Amid the murky gloom, Mount Shu stood out, crowned by a massive black sun rising ominously above it, casting an eerie shadow over the land!
It was like the netherworld!
As the Ksitigarbha opened its eyes, a colossal black sun materialized above its head. Beneath this ominous sun, all the disciples of the Dark King Sect felt their cultivation energy and bloodthirsty battle intent surge to unprecedented heights!
In contrast, the righteous cultivators were overwhelmed by a surge of negative emotions, including disgust, fear, and sorrow.
This was just the beginning; the black sun faced the Dharma Lotus Platform and suddenly ignited it with black flames! The black fire clung to the lotus platform like a poisonous sore burrowing into the bones. Even the few sparks that fell to the ground incinerated everything to ashes, defying all attempts to extinguish them!
This was the Netherworld True Fire, second in lethality only to the Samadhi True Fire. If the Samadhi True Fire embodied ultimate yang, the Netherworld True Fire would represent ultimate yin.
Seeing the black sea of flames spreading, the old monk on the lotus platform slowly pushed out a palm towards the sky.
Whoosh.
He completely ignored the fire beneath the lotus platform, seemingly unaffected by it. One of the most terrifying flames in the world appeared non-existent to him.
As he thrust his palm forward, the black sun in the sky began to tremble and retreat. Where it receded, golden light burst forth, flooding the sky. Amidst the golden brilliance, a radiant, rainbow-like glow emerged, illuminating the heavens with a breathtaking spectacle!
While the two forces clashed, Venerable Wen Yuan did not remain idle. Despite being only at the eighth realm and struggling against an opponent at the eighth-and-a-half realm wielding a legendary artifact, Venerable Wen Yuan still played a pivotal role that could tip the scales in this epic battle!
Earlier, he had sealed off the entire area, ensuring that the True Form of Ksitigarbha couldn't escape. Now, with fingers poised like a sword, Venerable Wen Yuan traced a line in the air from a distance.
Swish—
On the bronze-like body of the True Form of Ksitigarbha, which stretched across half the sky, a white mark began to appear on its chest, as if it were being sliced by a sharp blade.
If not for the Ksitigarbha's indestructible form, even a mountain or an ocean would have been cleaved in two by the force of the attack.
Even so, this level of damage was not something that the True Form of Ksitigarbha could handle. As it faced Venerable Wen Yuan's attack, it seemed to show a hint of anger.
Immediately, it opened its mouth.
Seeing this, the old monk on the lotus platform's expression changed. He instantly raised his hand, scattering countless lotus petals to surround and envelop the True Form of Ksitigarbha!
In the next moment, a deep voice uttered, "Die."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Petal by petal, the lotus flowers exploded, and in an instant, thousands of petals scattered and vanished!
If the Ksitigarbha spoke, the living world would transform into the netherworld.
All living beings who heard this word would perish.
If this sound reached the ground, aside from a few strong seventh-realm cultivators, neither the righteous cultivators nor the diabolical cultivators would survive!
This was a price the three righteous immortal sects were absolutely unwilling to pay!
With Venerable Wen Yuan and the old monk from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, both at the eighth realm, along with the legendary artifact, the Dharma Lotus Platform, restraining the True Form of Ksitigarbha was not difficult.
The battle in the sky also seemed to favor the righteous path.
...
Seeing how the tables had turned and that the Mount Shu Sect had long been prepared, it seemed as though today's plan was on the verge of failure.
Lu Chengchou's eyes flashed with a ruthless glint. Despite also being at the seventh realm, he did not rush to find an opponent. Instead, he remained hidden and observed the situation for a long time.
Now, he was finally ready to take action.
Lu Chengchou leaped high into the air, raised the Heaven Authority Token in his hand, and shouted, "Spirit of Mount Shu, heed my command!"
Swish—
The Heaven Authority Token emitted a dazzling white light, and the various peaks of Mount Shu began to undergo abnormal changes!
The aura of life began to flow, and Mount Shu seemed to have come alive! Countless rays of light surged from beneath the sea of clouds, converging into hidden streams that conveyed a profound meaning. These streams intertwined, sketching out an ancient and mysterious enchanted formation!
The grand formation was activated!
The Human Authority Token, Earth Authority Token, and Heaven Authority Token, representing the three levels of authority in Mount Shu, were not mere decorations. Among them, the Heaven Authority Token possessed the greatest power, and its most important function was to control Mount Shu's protective grand formation!
As an ancient and powerful immortal sect, the Mount Shu Sect naturally had its own protective grand formation. This formation was extremely strong, ranking among the top in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten. Its foundation was tied to the peaks of Mount Shu and the spiritual veins of the heavens and the earth, enabling it to withstand an eighth-realm cultivator for a short time!
Historically, Mount Shu's grand formation had rarely been activated, but each activation left a lasting impact. This formidable defense was a major reason other sects were hesitant to attack Mount Shu, understanding the significant advantage it conferred.
However, the world would never know that the Heaven Authority Token of the Mount Shu Sect had been lost for many years. During this time, there was never a need to activate the grand formation, and this secret might have stayed hidden forever.
It wasn't until the actual bearer of the Heaven Authority Token appeared. Lu Chengchou knew that Mount Shu could not activate the grand formation, which was why he dared to plan this audacious attack.
Sensing the changes in Mount Shu below, Venerable Wen Yuan frowned.
Lu Chengchou not only possessed the Heaven Authority Token but also knew the enchanted seal to activate the grand formation, which was unexpected. The activation seal was traditionally passed down orally by each sect leader, so even the descendants of the Lu family were not supposed to know it.
At this moment, Venerable Wen Yuan had to focus on restraining Lu Chengchou first!
At least the battle between the Dharma Lotus Platform and the True Form of Ksitigarbha was evenly matched. However, if he didn't stop Lu Chengchou, Lu Chengchou, empowered by the grand formation, would become invincible.
Boom—
And things transpired just as he had expected. The grand formation was not used to protect Mount Shu. Instead, Lu Chengchou absorbed all its spiritual energy, transforming into a towering figure shrouded in radiant light!
The Heaven Authority Token in his hand transformed into a seven-colored legendary sword, exuding divine power like that of a heavenly general!
Lu Chengchou looked up at the sky and shouted, "Wen Yuan! Every grievance has its cause, every debt its debtor! Today, I will settle this grudge with you! Behold my sword!"
With that, he gathered all his spiritual energy to wield the seven-colored legendary sword, and a mighty aura rose, covering the sky!
Just as Venerable Wen Yuan was about to counter, the True Form of Ksitigarbha turned its eyes and pointed a finger at his back!
At this moment, the True Form of Ksitigarbha was being attacked by the Dharma Lotus Platform. Yet, it didn't care! It shuddered as it endured the strikes coming from the Dharma Lotus Platform and charged towards Venerable Wen Yuan.
This startled Venerable Wen Yuan. Compared to the attack from Lu Chengchou, the attack coming from the True Form of Ksitigarbha's attack was more dangerous.
After all, the power of the seventh realm was still significantly different from that of the eighth realm. Even if someone at the seventh realm could control an eighth-realm power, they would never be able to fully display the true strength of the Heavenly Origin Realm.
The True Form of Ksitigarbha, however, was a genuine legendary artifact! Capable of slaying cultivators at the Heavenly Origin Realm!
The True Form of Ksitigarbha endured a heavy blow just to put Venerable Wen Yuan in a dire situation, forcing him to choose between two threats!
Venerable Wen Yuan spun around and with a powerful sweep of his hand, tore open a void before him. The True Form of Ksitigarbha's finger strike slammed into the void, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
But the force of those ripples caused Venerable Wen Yuan's face to pale, clearly showing his suffering.
At the same time, Lu Chengchou, empowered by the spiritual energy of Mount Shu, swung the legendary sword he had condensed from the seven-colored rays of light.
But he did not aim the sword at Venerable Wen Yuan!
Instead, he aimed his strike at a nearby peak.
This time, he gathered forces from all directions to launch a surprise attack on the Mount Shu Sect with the sole purpose of destroying it!
But merely killing people indiscriminately wouldn't suffice to destroy Mount Shu. He had three main objectives!
The third objective was to eliminate several promising talents of Mount Shu Sect. This way, Mount Shu would have no hope at the next Assembly of Immortal Sects, and would fall from its current ranking among the Divine Nine.
The second objective was to kill Venerable Wen Yuan, which was a challenging task. Although Venerable Wen Yuan was his greatest enemy and the sect leader of Mount Shu, whose death would undoubtedly deal a severe blow to Mount Shu, it was still only the second priority!
The first and foremost objective was that serene, green peak in the distance!
That was the Guardian Peak!