Chapter 279
"Give it up," the lama's voice sounded amidst the whirling of the Fan of Seven Treasures' spinning blades . "This is beyond you . "
Li Yundong stopped struggling and raised his gaze . He was still lying on his stomach and his hands were pinned down by something invisible that refused to yield no matter how hard he pulled . The lama was walking towards him, those glowing prayer beads spinning in his right hand .
Li Yundong clenched his jaw and continued his ineffectual attempts to free his hands . Don't give up… Keep fighting…
"It is futile, young man," the lama said . "Nobody has ever gotten past the Great Arhat Formation before . It doesn't matter how powerful you are . " The lama stopped a few feet away . "You'll never succeed . "
I refuse to give up . I refuse!
Li Yundong screamed and tried to lift his hip off the ground .
"Do you know why these arhats are so powerful?" the lama asked . "Where do you think they draw power from? What's the source of their power? Do you know?"
Li Yundong stopped struggling and looked up at the lama .
The lama smirked mockingly . "Devotion . "
Li Yundong kept staring at the lama .
The smirk vanished from the lama's countenance . "These arhats draw power from the thousands of worshippers who came to Xiyuan Temple to offer their prayers . From us lamas, who has spent every waking hour with our prayer wheels, reciting the verses from Buddhist scriptures!" The lama brought the prayer beads to the front of his chest . "This is the power of faith . "
Li Yundong watched each of those beads slide across the lama's fingers, one after the other .
I'm running out of time…
He growled and tried to free himself again .
"Give it up already . " The lama sighed . "Do you not understand the futility of your efforts? The Xiyuan Temple has over eight-hundred years of history . That's what you're up against, you fool . Eight-hundred years' worth of faith and devotion . "
"H- Her name is Su Chan…" Li Yundong wheezed . "Is that her? Is… Is she the one you apprehended?"
"We do not know her name . "
"How can you not know?"
"Because we do not care . "
Li Yundong clenched his jaw and kept struggling . God damn it!
A look of disappointment flitted across the lama's features . "You really are bewitched, aren't you?"
"Where?" Li Yundong asked, ignoring the lama's taunt . "Where did you find her?"
"A group of Cultivators found them two days ago and brought them to us yesterday . "
Li Yundong's head shot up . "Them?"
"A man and a woman . "
A man and a woman? Maybe it wasn't Su Chan after all . Su Chan was on the run . Surely, she would prefer to travel alone?
"Who are those Cultivators?"
"Didn't ask for their names . " The lama sounded a bit annoyed . "Though they did say that they're based in Mount Donghua . "
Donghua . That name rang a bell . Donghua Sect was part of the Great Six . That realization made Li Yundong's stomach clench .
What if Su Chan got apprehended by the Cultivators who were part of the assault? What if the other guy was also a disciple of the Fox Zen School? What if the guy and Su Chan had gone into hiding together before they got caught by those Cultivators? Didn't Cao Yi mention that several of the Fox Zen School's disciples were missing? Maybe the guy was one of those missing disciples .
But how many male disciples did the Fox Zen School have?
He had no idea; Cao Yi didn't say .
"I don't know who you are, young man," said the lama, "but I can tell that you possess a great deal of talent . So I will give you a choice . " There was a brief pause . "Repent . Give up now and leave . Otherwise I have no choice but to take things to the next level . "
Li Yundong stared at the lama for a long moment .
The lama seemed to be waiting for his answer .
"Please… Just let me take a look at her," Li Yundong pleaded . "Or… Or check my phone! I have a photo of her . Please . I just want to know if it's her . If it isn't her, then I'll go . "
The lama's expression turned stony . "And what if it's her?" he said in a harsh tone . "Will you interfere with the ritual if it's her?"
Li Yundong didn't answer .
There was a snort . "Fool…"
Li Yundong raised his gaze and saw the lama backing away from him . The lama's left hand was going through a series of hand signs . Suddenly, the smaller arhats parted to two sides to make way for the giant arhat .
The ground trembled with every step the arhat took .
Li Yundong lowered his gaze back down . A pool of his own blood stared back at him . Maybe it wasn't her? He couldn't see the girl's face when he peeked through the window just now . Long, dark hair? White skin? That's way too generic, and far from distinctive .
It wasn't her .
It wasn't .
It couldn't be, right? Chan'er was so good at stealth . She'd never allow herself to get caught .
But what if it's her?
Was he really going to base his decision on a guess, or worse, wishful thinking?
The ground continued to shake; the giant arhat was drawing close .
Buddy, he spoke to the Fan of Seven Treasures . I need you to keep the lama occupied . Make sure he can't see me . The Fan of Seven Treasures was still tearing through the arhats' formation in order to make its way towards him . Don't come towards me, he said, then paused . Don't worry about me . I know what I'm doing . Just make sure the lama can't see me .
The giant arhat stopped in front of him, staring down at him with those menacing eyes .
Li Yundong met the arhat's stare . Give me a signal when it's done, he told the fan .
The golden staff rose above the arhat's head . Li Yundong tried to free his limbs again . But the restraints (whatever the heck they were) wouldn't give .
When the staff slammed down on his head, he thought he saw stars . For the next few seconds, the arhat beat his body with the staff repeatedly .
Li Yundong gritted his teeth and endured those blows . Buddy… Hurry up…
SNAP! A bright flash of golden light appeared somewhere behind the giant arhat .
That's the signal!
Li Yundong closed his eyes and mobilized his Zhenqi through his meridians, speeding up its flow until he could feel the familiar power of the Jindan's Aura bursting through his skin .
The staff smashed down onto his head once again, but it ended up bouncing off the Jindan's Aura . With a roar, Li Yundong pulled at his restraints with all his might .
His hands came free .
He knew then what those restraints were: two tiny talismans attached to the ground near his hands .
The Jindan's Aura spread out, reducing the talismans to ashes .
Li Yundong rose to his feet . He caught the arhat's swinging staff with one hand, then threw a right cross at the arhat's stomach . The arhat flew away and crashed into the ground . Li Yundong turned off the Jindan's Aura and flew upwards . Thanks to the Fan of Seven Treasures, the lama's back was turned to him the whole time the Jindan's Aura was active .
The smaller arhats surrounded him again .
Almighty Push!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
The arhats were gone . For now .
Li Yundong brought his palms together: heat surged through his spine when the Elixir of Yang came alive . The speed and agility boost provided by the Elixir of Yang would allow him to move his hands at a greater speed and hence form mudras at a much quicker pace .
Acalanatha's 12th Mudra: The Great Sword!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
The golden sword cleaved down from the sky; a swarm of arhats shot to the sky and absorbed the blow before it could damage the pagoda . Physical attacks like shockwaves wouldn't work on the pagoda, so he had to use mudras capable of magical attacks . But now it appeared that not even long-range attacks would work . The arhats had the number's advantage, and they were indestructible . They would just throw themselves in front of his attacks to protect the pagoda .
This wouldn't do . He needed a new strategy .
Li Yundong twisted his body in the air and avoided a sweeping blow from the golden staff . The giant arhat was back up again .
"Om mani padme hum!"
The mudra blew a hole through the center of the arhat's chest . The hole, much to Li Yundong's horror, began to close up as soon as it formed . Whatever Buddhist magic this involved, it was one hell of a spell .
While the giant was regenerating, the smaller arhats charged at him from the front .
Acalanatha's 9th Mudra: Heavenly Fire!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
Acalanatha's flames spewed from the side of Li Yundong's palm . The little arhats pulled up short and doubled back to avoid the colorful flames .
Wait a minute… Those flames…
The arhats were afraid of Acalanatha's flames .
"Shit!"
Li Yundong dodged another swing from the golden staff and started a count in his head .
Fourteen, fifteen…
Fifteen seconds . The flames would last fifteen seconds .
Listen, buddy . I've got a plan, Li Yundong said to the Fan of Seven Treasures as he continued to avoid the giant arhat's attacks . You take the big guy . I'll handle the small guys . No matter what happens, don't come to me . Just do whatever it takes to make sure that the big guy stays out of my way .
When the Fan of Seven Treasures suddenly flew in and began slicing through the giant arhat's thick skin, he knew that he had gotten the message across . Li Yundong blew away another group of smaller arhats with Almighty Push . Then, he flew ahead while dodging a volley of mudras launched at him from afar .
He positioned himself above the center of the terrain . More arhats flew towards him from all sides .
Acalanatha's 10th Mudra: Almighty Push!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
The annoying arhats were repelled .
He switched to a new mudra .
Take this!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
He had put everything into it this time . Colorful flames poured out from his hands, cascading towards the ground . A second later, he heard the lama's terrified scream . A loud clank sounded on his left . The Fan of Seven Treasures had just parried a swing from the giant arhat's long staff . The flames were devouring the giant arhat, but the arhat stood its ground, seemingly content with letting itself be burned . The smaller arhats, on the other hand, were scrambling away from the flames . A number of them were burned, but most of them managed to escape by flying upwards and to the side .
Li Yundong ended Acalanatha's 9th Mudra and began the countdown inside his head .
15 seconds .
Time to move .
Li Yundong flew down towards the flames . Instead of moving in to intercept his path, the smaller arhats just hovered above the flames .
15 . . . 14…
Once he was close to the ground, close to those tall flames, Li Yundong switched to another mudra .
Acalanatha's 10th Mudra: Almighty Push!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
The repulsive force flung the colorful flames aside, breaking the flames' continuity . There! Li Yundong's fingers were already moving to form a new mudra as he flew into the gap left by the flames .
Acalanatha's 2nd Mudra: The Immovable Mountain of Treasure!
"Namah samanta vajranam ham!"
A golden dome surrounded his body just as those flames began to collapse inwards . The flames thrashed against the dome, but the shield held . The plan had worked . Now he was literally inside the flames . Inside, but protected .
Without releasing Acalanatha's 2nd Mudra, he flew towards the base of the pagoda at full speed .
10… 9… 8…
None of the smaller arhats could touch him . He was engulfed in Acalanatha's flames, and those arhats were afraid of the flames .
He reached the base of the pagoda in no time . He released the mudra and shot towards the sixth floor .
"No!!!!!" The lama's dejected scream was music to his ears .
"Om mani padme hum!"
The Intelligent Fist Mudra blew the pagoda's roof right off .
"Chan'er!!!"
The scent of burning incense hit his nostrils the moment he flew into the room . He scanned the room quickly for signs of the totem pole . He spotted it lying horizontally on the ground near the corner of the room . The top half of the pole was now gone, no doubt blown away together with the roof .
"Chan'er!!"
He flew towards the end of the pole, where a naked woman lay face down .
"No, no, no…" He kneeled down beside the woman and parted the mop of dark hair obscuring her face . "Chan—"
Li Yundong's face paled, and his hands dropped away from the woman's face .
It wasn't her .