Free Web NovelChapter 294: Chapter 58: Forgiving You Is the Buddha Master’s Business
With that, he took a step forward. A spiritual light flared around him, and as he rolled on the ground, he transformed into a Golden-haired Giant Ape.
The Giant Ape pounded its chest with both hands as its body inflated, growing to a height of a hundred zhang in an instant. Its muscles bulged, brimming with explosive power.
It opened its mouth toward the surging multicolored light in the distance and spat out a dazzling, blindingly bright ball of light.
Like a blazing sun, it slammed violently into the multicolored light.
—Sun-Swallowing Divine Ape Transformation.
BOOM!
From within the multicolored light, an enormous Treasure Umbrella suddenly unfurled.
Thousands of pearls on the umbrella’s surface burst with dazzling brilliance, runes flowing across it to block the ball of light.
An unimaginably heavy pressure and an immense, virile power appeared in the sky at the same time.
The entire sky rippled like a calm lake’s surface. The void buckled, collapsing and condensing under the immense weight.
On the surface of the umbrella, the rapidly spinning, blinding ball of light transformed into a vortex that absorbed all light and heat.
An astonishing heat spread out, blanketing everything.
Behind the umbrella, Zi Kuang and Yuanjue wore grave expressions. Both found it difficult to breathe, and it was especially apparent for Yuanjue, whose Cultivation was weaker than Zi Kuang’s.
Every breath he took felt like inhaling a wisp of fire, scorching his internal organs. The pain was unbearable!
’Just what is this person’s background?!’
A sliver of terror crept into Yuanjue’s heart.
In the sky, the searing, majestic, and terrifying white-hot vortex clung to the massive Treasure Umbrella. It seemed as if layers of flames were burning in from all sides.
The airflow between heaven and earth was completely ignited. All sorts of flames merged and transformed into a vast ocean, surging toward the space behind the umbrella like a wildfire.
Amid the fiery light, a huge Golden Ape charged in front of the giant umbrella. It swung its fists, throwing hundreds of fist-shadows in an instant.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The brilliance on the giant umbrella trembled as an unparalleled force surged forward, beating the Treasure Umbrella down and causing it to shrink continuously.
Behind the umbrella, Zi Kuang poured all his effort into controlling the Treasure Umbrella to block the attack. He felt a searing heat that could melt his very body, and a premonition of extreme danger rose in his heart.
Although a Tier Four Magical Artifact was powerful, its consumption of Magical Power was also immense.
Moreover, the strength of his opponent’s attacks left him utterly shocked.
It was just like Cai Li’s sword light against those Early Life Talisman Stage Cultivators. Although they were all in the Life Talisman Realm, the gap was simply too vast.
This was exactly that kind of situation.
Zi Kuang felt like a child swinging a great hammer, completely outmatched. He struggled to defend against both the Giant Ape’s barrage of fists and the astonishing fiery light sweeping toward him.
Although the Treasure Umbrella’s defensive power was astounding, he could only activate ten to twenty percent of its might.
Against an opponent of similar Cultivation, he was confident he could sweep them aside.
But now... He couldn’t help but glare at the white-robed Monk beside him and curse internally.
’This is a Mid-Life Talisman Stage?!’
Just then, a ray of Profound Light descended, enveloping Zi Kuang and Yuanjue.
The two were completely unaware until the Profound Light enveloped them, at which point they were startled into alertness.
Turning their heads, they saw a foot-tall paper figure standing in the sky with its hands behind its back. It looked down on them with an air of aged arrogance, as if gazing upon the dead.
Within this Profound Light, Zi Kuang and Yuanjue were horrified to find that they were completely immobilized, their entire bodies seemingly frozen by a mirror-like light.
Then, a formless and intangible sword light silently flew past.
The sword light circled Zi Kuang’s neck once before vanishing.
The brilliance in the sky suddenly flared.
The massive Treasure Umbrella abruptly closed, shrinking countless times over as the light filling the sky dissipated along with it.
The Golden-haired Giant Ape also shrank back into a foot-tall paper figure, which then disintegrated into a cloud of white paper ash, scattering on the wind.
Yuanjue seemed to sense something. He looked in astonishment at Master Zi Kuang beside him and saw a thin line of blood on Zi Kuang’s neck. All signs of life were gone.
The Supreme Elder of the Rakshasa Sect stared with wide eyes, an expression of incredulous terror on his face, as if everything had been frozen at the moment of his death.
The Bronze Swordsman’s figure appeared. He caught the Tier Four Treasure Umbrella, took Zi Kuang’s storage pouch, and then sent out a jet-black Demonic Light that began to slowly refine the corpse.
Yuanjue discovered to his horror that he couldn’t even commit suicide to escape.
Inside the Profound Light, the connection between his Magical Power, his physical body, and his Divine Sense seemed to have been completely severed.
He could only think; his body and Magical Power remained motionless.
’What Divine Technique is this?!’
As if sensing his thoughts, the Bronze Swordsman said indifferently, "This is the Dingxuan Divine Light. You must be the esteemed monk from Lankao Temple?"
Yuanjue’s expression changed. He wanted to speak but couldn’t open his mouth; his entire body was imprisoned.
He knew that the Bronze Swordsman before him was the person he had been looking for.
A Tier Three Magical Artifact, a Tier Three Mechanical Armor, a mysterious paper figure... and the sword light that had just slain Master Zi Kuang was also a Tier Three Flying Sword!
’Who on earth is this person, to possess so many treasures?’
Yuanjue saw the paper figure that had cast the Dingxuan Divine Light to immobilize him and Zi Kuang float gracefully over from behind the Bronze Swordsman.
The paper figure reached out a hand and pointed. A ray of Buddha Light flew out from Yuanjue’s body.
Within the Buddha Light was an ancient, simple Talisman Decree imbued with a Buddhist rhythm. On the talisman, there was only a single, ineffably profound rune.
This Talisman Decree existed on the border between real and illusory. The moment it flew out of Yuanjue’s body, it began to show signs of dissipating.
The paper figure stared intently at the Talisman Decree for a few moments, then said to Fang Cheng, "Daoist Brother, this talisman is not simple. It’s imbued with a sliver of the Power of Time from a mighty expert. You must be careful."
With that, its Spiritual Energy was exhausted. It disintegrated into countless pieces of paper that fluttered away and turned to ash.
The Ancient Buddha Talisman also slowly disintegrated, vanishing between heaven and earth.
The Dingxuan Divine Light faded. The instant Yuanjue regained his freedom, a large hand clamped down on the top of his head.
Immediately after, a powerful Divine Sense surged into his sea of consciousness and began a Soul Search.
Lankao Temple... Buddha Son... a heaven-defying immortal opportunity... the Ancient Buddha Talisman... unable to bear the sect’s restrictions... journeying far into the Wilderness.
Countless memory fragments were absorbed by Fang Cheng, and he finally learned the white-robed monk’s origins.
"So, this is already the third time we’ve fought," Fang Cheng said slowly, looking at Yuanjue.
From a young age, Yuanjue possessed a natural aptitude for Buddhism and was brought to Lankao Temple to cultivate by a high-ranking monk.
In his youth, he had a fortuitous encounter with a statue of the Lamp Lighting Ancient Buddha and obtained the Ancient Buddha Talisman.
Not even Lankao Temple knew of this matter.
This Talisman Decree allowed him to rewind time to half an hour before his death.
He had a total of seven chances.
Before meeting Fang Cheng, he had already used it four times—sometimes to escape calamity, other times to obtain treasures—and had finally achieved his current success.
This led him to become arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone. He had developed killing intent over a Tier Two Magical Artifact and tried to kill Fang Cheng, only to be killed by Fang Cheng instead.
Afterward, he discovered that Fang Cheng possessed even greater benefits, which led to the subsequent events.
Now, Yuanjue’s head was clamped in Fang Cheng’s hand, his body held dangling in the air. His life hung by a thread.
His heart pounded with terror. His greatest reliance in this life had been broken, and he couldn’t help but feel an unprecedented fear.
"Benefactor, this humble monk knows he was wrong! Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life! Please, forgive this monk’s past ignorance and greed. This monk is willing to become your slave, your servant..." Yuanjue looked at Fang Cheng and begged with a trembling voice, his expression the most sincere it had ever been.
Behind Fang Cheng, the black Demonic Light swirled, slowly refining Zi Kuang’s corpse. Hearing Yuanjue’s plea, he said, "Forgiving you is the Buddha Master’s business. My only responsibility is to send you to meet him."
As soon as he finished speaking, his five fingers snapped shut. With a vicious squeeze, a sickening, crunching sound echoed as Yuanjue’s head abruptly exploded.
’The Buddhist Sect’s Body Refining Techniques really aren’t half bad...’
Fang Cheng mused to himself. He relaxed his grip, and another streak of Li Hen Demon Light shot out to envelop Yuanjue’s remains.
He took the storage pouch from Yuanjue’s body and put it away.
「A moment later.」
Both bodies were completely refined. Zi Kuang, in particular, being a Life Soul Cultivator, contributed an unimaginable amount of Spiritual Qi.
Fang Cheng transformed into an illusory, ethereal sword light and departed silently.
「Not long after.」
Several astonishing Escape Lights streaked across the horizon. The ones in the lead were none other than the Cyan Rattan Demon King and Jing Hongyan, followed by the Nine Nether Saintess, Bing Wuyi.
And behind them were several more Escape Lights, all emanating the powerful aura of the Life Soul level...
