Chapter 208: Chapter 148: The Appearance of Law_1
Translator: 549690339
“Six-foot Golden Body?”
“Amitabha Buddha!”
With the Dharma likeness of Sakyamuni Tathagata revealed, even the True Monarchs of Taoism paled in comparison; let alone the disciples of Buddhism and others, who immediately knelt on the ground and began to worship devoutly.
Even high-ranking monks of Buddhism had tears in their eyes at this moment.
“A likeness of Sakyamuni Tathagata!”
“Senior Brother Duxing is truly the foremost among us in Buddhism!”
“Great times for Buddhism, truly great times for Buddhism!”
“Well said, well said!”
The monks sighed, bowing down to the ground.
Above the Heavenly Altar, within the void, the Dharma likeness of Sakyamuni Tathagata emerged, his Six-foot Golden Body seated upon the lotus dais, sacred and authoritative, inviolably majestic.
Yet, across the sky dashed the Xuanyuan Sword, its rage pouring forth as luminous sword light that tore through the night and shattered the Buddhist radiance, slashing directly towards Tathagata, intent on making the Buddha weep bloody tears.
“Boom!!!”
A roar sounded, and where the two forces met, the sword light and the Buddha light reflected each other, causing a chaotic collision that immediately became one, swallowing the sight of all who watched.
Even the True Monarchs, at this moment, could not discern the situation in the field, unable to even directly gaze upon the conflict.
Fearsome power surged, distorting the void, breaking and annihilating it, revealing the chaotic nothingness at the edge of space and time.
Broken Void!
In this world, seventh realm cultivators could shatter the void and ascend to the realm of the Immortal Spirits.
Now, as both combatants were of the Seventh Realm, the space itself could barely withstand their extreme confrontation.
If space could barely endure, there was no need to mention the rest; beholding the dazzling brilliance that carried the ultimate force sweeping towards them, everyone finally awoke from their shock and hurriedly tried to flee.
But at that moment, where could they possibly escape to?
In this moment of despair…
“Amitabha Buddha!”
A Buddhist chant began, ushering in a boundless torrent.
The mighty Buddhist Law shielded all directions, while also connecting with the lotus dais, sustaining the Dharma likeness Golden Body.
It was the power of the Water-Land Dharma Assembly, the advantage of the home field.
Time passed in such a manner, no one knowing for how long…
“Crash!!”
A crisp sound rang out, as something broke apart.
Immediately afterwards, the Buddha light ebbed like a tide, grandly receding.
The majestic divine weapon, the valiant sword with dragon-like spirit, vanished without a trace, its whereabouts unknown.
The Six-foot Golden Body, the Dharma likeness of Sakyamuni, also dissipated into smoke and cloud.
In the end, only one person remained, standing in the midst of the void, with his palms together in salute.
It was—Pudu Cihang!
There he stood with his palms joined, amidst the void, still dignified and seemingly unscathed.
However…
“Pfft!!”
A muffled sound, and crimson blood spurted from his chest, carving out a sword wound.
Though the sword wound was small, the blood poured forth prominently, its scarlet hue startling to behold.
“Abbot!”
“Holy Monk!”
“State Preceptor!”
Seeing this scene, the Buddhist monks, the Emperor of the Chen Dynasty, as well as the civil and military officials, were all shocked and dismayed.
“Amitabha Buddha!”
Only Pudu Cihang remained composed, chanting the Buddha’s name, his hand alight with golden brilliance and the 卐 Buddha Seal forming in his palm, pressing to his chest. The sword Qi dissolved instantly, the bloody wound closed in a moment, restored as before.
The onlookers finally relaxed upon seeing this scene.
The observing True Monarchs of Taoism also heaved a silent sigh of relief.
‘In the end, it was all a fruitless effort!’
“Six-foot Golden Body, the Dharma likeness of Tathagata; Buddhist divine powers can withstand the ancient sword technique.”
“All the treasures of Buddhism are also within him; although the Xuanyuan Sword is extraordinary, it can only manage to draw even at best.”
“Equal cultivation, equal Taoist cultivation, equal divine powers, and equal magical treasures.”
“Thus, the key to victory lies above in the sacrificial ceremonies.”
“It’s not that our Daoist Luotian Dajiao is inferior to their Buddhist Water-Land Dharma Assembly, nor is the accumulation of the South lesser than the potential of the North, but that distant mountains and rivers cannot be reached by whipping the horses.”
“Having the home ground naturally comes with advantages.”
“This time, Buddhism has won!”
Though they did not choose sides, their stance remaining neutral, upon seeing Buddhist Law surpassing the Taoist Law, a sigh could not help but inwardly escape the True Monarchs of Taoism.
“The External Demons have departed, the Dharma Assembly is undisturbed!”
Pudu Cihang descended, facing the Buddhist monks, the emperor and ministers of the Chen Dynasty, and the watching True Monarchs of Taoism, “This humble monk will now preach, spreading the great vows of the Buddha. Those with affinity, the faithful, all are welcome to listen!”
“Amitabha Buddha!”
“The Abbot is merciful!”
“Pudu Cihang’s merit is boundless in saving all beings!”
Upon hearing this, everyone could not help but kneel down in worship.
Pudu Cihang said no more, his hands joined together as he manifested the Dharma likeness once again, Buddha seated upon the lotus dais, Sakyamuni preaching the Dharma.
Suddenly, the profound Brahma Sound swept out like a tide, spreading throughout the capital, inside and out.
This transformed the land of the Capital Region into a Buddha Kingdom, a Buddha Realm.
Countless commoners, numerous cultivators, and disciples of the Three Teaching Sect were immersed in the Buddhist Law, intoxicated and obsessed.
Even the True Monarchs of Taoism were listening intently, deep in thought.
Buddhism was originally Taoism; different paths leading to the same destination!
Pudu Cihang, who had even mastered the Six-foot Golden Body and the Tathagata’s divine form, revealed the profound depths of his Buddhist Law.
Even though they were True Monarchs of Taoism, listening to his teachings would be greatly beneficial.
On the other side…
In North City County, on Mount Jilei, at Mingxiao Taoist Temple.
A Nine Ceremony High Altar had been erected, and the Luotian Dajiao rites were being performed.
Atop the Nine Ceremony High Altar, one person sat cross-legged, with eyes tightly shut, silent and still.
Just then, a sword light descended from the sky.
“Bang!!!”
The sword light fell, entering the Heavenly Spirit, and the body of the person shook in response.
Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes, and a trickle of crimson spilled from his lips, which he wiped away with a sweep of his hand.
He had been injured, a wound to his Yang God.
Guo Bei Academy, with its three-pronged development, was rapidly gaining strength.
If things continued this way, in just a few years, the strength of the southern seven provinces would completely surpass that of the north.
By then, Xu Yang wouldn’t even need to take action himself; just by continuously holding Luotian Dajiao, he could mass-produce Daoist Celestial Masters and Seventh Realm cultivators.
In fact, this was exactly what he was already doing. Not counting this time, within fifteen years, Guo Bei Academy had held Luotian Dajiao twice more, successfully adding two major Seventh Realm forces to Guo Bei Academy.
Although ordinary Seventh Realm cultivators did not possess his formidable strength, a Seventh Realm was still a Seventh Realm. Their cultivation was apparent, and could not be overlooked.
Once the number of Seventh Realm cultivators reached a certain level, the gap in strength between the two sides would be unmistakably wide.
Once the gap became pronounced, the balance would break!
By then, even if Buddhism was willing to fight to the death for Pudu Cihang, they would struggle to contend against the multitude of Seventh Realm cultivators and the large numbers of Five Realm True Men and Six Realm True Monarchs cultivated by Guo Bei Academy.
Therefore, if the delay continued, Cihang Pudu was bound to be defeated and would have to resort to a game-changing strategy.
However, Xu Yang’s development was a blatant and honest stratagem, one that could not be replicated nor easily contained.
To change the game, he had to start with himself.
The best method was, undoubtedly, to break through the Seventh Realm and even reach realms above the Seventh Realm.
If that was not possible, then his only choice would be to ascend and flee this world.
There were no other options, for Xu Yang would lead a group of Daoist Celestial Masters, ghost gods, demon immortals, and other Seventh Realm forces across heavens and earth in a relentless pursuit to the death. Either ascend and flee for his life, or sit and wait for death.
Therefore, he initiated this Water-Land Dharma Assembly, making his stance clear to Xu Yang.
He did not plan to ascend and save himself; he still intended to make a final struggle, devour all living beings in the Northern Territory, and transform them into blood nourishment. Using the ways of the demon, he would break through the Seventh Realm, and even beyond, to become a true World-ending Giant Demon.
Of course, Xu Yang could not let him have his way, so he sent his Yang God in a trance, plunging his sword into the Capital Region.
In fifteen years, the Xuanyuan Divine Sword had already assimilated the essence of Black Mountain, capturing the Power of Earth’s Essence.
Added to that, the righteousness nurtured by the million students of Guo Bei Academy, the incense offerings of countless civilians from the southern seven provinces, and his own day and night efforts to invoke Thunderbolt Strength for cultivation, all following the tripartite law of heaven, earth, and humanity, the sword had undergone rebirth, gained sentience, and stepped into the ranks of Spiritual Treasures.
Although it was only a Lower Grade Spiritual Treasure, it was already top-notch in this world. Even the treasured possessions of the great Daoist sects, the remnants left by Ancient Immortal Gods, could only share the limelight with it.
Unfortunately, even with such a divine sword in hand, Xu Yang did not have the assurance of victory.
The Yang God entered trance, and the sword plunged into the Capital, but it was just a desperate attempt.
The final outcome, as expected, was a failure.
In terms of Cultivation Realm, Pudu Cihang, as a Holy Monk of Buddhism, was not much inferior to him.
In terms of cultivating skills and Divine Magic, Pudu Cihang had mastered the Sakyamuni Tathagata form, and even if it was most likely falsely achieved through demonic methods, it should not be underestimated, and was not weaker than his Xuanyuan Divine Sword Jue.
In terms of Magical Treasures and Spiritual Artifacts, as the leader of Buddhism, Pudu Cihang had all the treasures of Buddhism at his disposal, plus the possible existence of ancient relics. Compared to his Xuanyuan Sword, they not only matched in quality but also outnumbered it.
The only aspect he was inferior in was Skill Traits.
But the Skill Traits Xu Yang had developed could not bridge the advantage of fighting in his home court.
That Water-Land Dharma Assembly site was fortified with countless Formations and supported by the incense burners of many Buddhist temples, equivalent to the Mana Altars of various Daoist sects, providing maximum assistance to Pudu Cihang.
In contrast, Xu Yang fought on foreign ground, far from help, without Formation backing, and with his ritualistic Mana Altar weakened. Even with the addition of Skill Traits, it was very difficult to defeat Pudu Cihang.
In the end, he gave his all, only to both sustain injuries.
A near-death injury was meaningless, the Water-Land Dharma Assembly continued, and he had to return without accomplishing his mission.
Next, if things went as expected, once the Water-Land Dharma Assembly was over, Cihang Pudu would begin his feast.
He could not stop it.
On Buddhism’s side, there was no persuading them; Pudu Cihang’s status in Buddhism now was akin to his in Guo Bei Academy and the southern cultivation world.
Would the disciples of Guo Bei Academy and the cultivators of the southern Cultivation Realm believe he was the North City Old Demon simply because Cihang Pudu said so?
Obviously not!
Similarly, the Buddhism of the Northern Territory would not believe that Cihang Pudu was the Blood Armored Sky Dragon and change their allegiance just based on his few words.
Therefore, persuasion was useless; he could only reveal the true identity of Pudu Cihang unless the latter was foolhardy enough to confront him in battle in the south.
If he didn’t come, Xu Yang could do nothing but let him have his way.
At least, that was the case for the Capital Region.
In other places, there might still be some chances for remedy, but bloodshed and catastrophe would inevitably ensue.
The situation was now unavoidable.
At present, his concern was how to eliminate Pudu Cihang.
If there was enough time, it went without saying, he could use the Luotian Dajiao ritual to cultivate a group of Seventh Realm forces, relentlessly hunting up to the heavens and down to the earth, surely eradicating Pudu Cihang.
But Pudu Cihang would obviously not allow him that much development time. After the Water-Land Dharma Assembly, he would begin to devour the world, growing rapidly like a snowball. Not only the Seventh, but even the Eight Realms might be breached.
At that time, it would be a calamitous World-ending Event!
He had to eliminate this calamitous demon before Pudu Cihang broke through the Seventh Realm!
But still, the question remained, how?
The battle just now, with their utmost clash, allowed him to probe into some of Pudu Cihang’s secrets.
A victory was already difficult to achieve, let alone a decisive slaughter?
Unless…
Xu Yang raised his eyes to the sky: “This is the only way!”