vstars Chapter 172 The Signs of War
Chapter 172 The Signs of War
"Greetings, Benefactor Xuan Tu..."
The White Bone Dharma King sat down, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
Behind the White Bone Dharma King stood another person, whose body was shimmering with golden light, whose breath carried faint Buddhist chants, and whose life force resembled that of a savage beast.
"What a magnificent guardian deity!"
Xuan Tu Zhenren's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Fellow Daoist's subordinates are truly full of talented people, which makes me very happy..."
"If you, fellow Daoist, are envious, you may join my Buddhist Tantric sect... and you will not lose your position as Dharma King."
Sangji put his hands together in prayer.
"Haha, never mind, I still prefer a carefree life..."
Xuan Tu Zhenren smiled slightly.
Fang Qing stood behind Sang Ji, silently observing the only Purple Mansion in the Xuan Tu Sect.
This person had the face of a young man, was tall and elegant, and had a halo of earthy yellow supernatural light behind his head, making him seem like a celestial being.
"Even though I've already reached the third level of body refinement, I'm afraid I'm still no match for this person..."
He had been diligently practicing the "Hayagriva Protector Supernatural Power" at Wusheng Temple these past few days. Thanks to the "Dragon Elephant Prajna Secret Medicine" and his own efforts, he finally succeeded in completing the second level of "Mule-faced Vajra Prajna Stage". He then broke through the barrier and achieved the "Hayagriva Wrathful Stage"! Of course, saying that he achieved it is a bit of an exaggeration; at most, he can be considered to have just begun to understand it.
Even so, the benefits were unparalleled. Not only did his physique advance smoothly to the third level of body refinement, but his divine sense also made a breakthrough, breaking through the Foundation Establishment limit of 150 feet and being able to extend it to a distance of one and a half miles, achieving the Core Formation level of divine sense!
His physical strength and spiritual awareness both broke through to a higher level, allowing him to easily mobilize more of the power of the Tide-Born Pearl, probably surpassing that of ordinary early-stage Core Formation cultivators. It was only due to the limitations of the Azure Sea Technique that he was unable to reach an even higher level.
However, it was still no match for a cultivator in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm.
"Not only that, after entering the threshold of the 'Hayagriva Wrathful Stage,' I actually refined another 'seed syllable' and obtained a mysterious spiritual fire, which was an unexpected surprise."
Fang Qing used his divine sense to look inward and saw an unnamed flame slowly burning in his heart, which shone brightly with the golden energy transformed from the "Kill the Wolf" technique in his lungs.
This is the "Ash of Ignorance," which is the flame transformed from the wrath of Hayagriva!
"This Blinding Illumination Flame is currently at the third tier in power. It may not be as powerful as those Heavenly Spirit Flames, but as my cultivation deepens, its power can continue to increase... One day it will catch up with the power of Heavenly Spirit Flames, and even surpass them..."
"With this inner fire, could I even try my hand at fire-based alchemy?"
Then, the White Bone Dharma King said, "I've heard that you witnessed the authentication of that great man's gold?"
"That's certainly true..."
Mentioning this, even Xuan Tu Zhenren showed a hint of fear on his face: "Fortunately, that lord was of extraordinary virtue and threw us out. Of all the Zifu disciples, only one Kaiyuanzi died, and he died because his own Dao heart collapsed and he Daoized... The lord is truly kind-hearted."
Even among those belonging to the demonic path, when the Kitchen God was mentioned, Master Xuan Tu's face was full of respect.
"Perhaps... it's out of respect for the person on the [Di Tu] behind the Sky-Piercing Cliff?"
Fang Qing added in his mind.
"As for the demon race... those demon kings have made great contributions, and from then on, there will be many more gold-certifying experts in the world."
Master Xuan Tu sighed, "I have ceded several territories, and from now on we will have to rely on the Dharma King to fight against the demon race..."
The demon race's use of the [Stomach Soil] to prove their Golden Core cultivation dealt a heavy blow to the two major Golden Core sects of Ancient Shu and Southern Xinjiang.
Once the Bluebird Division is reorganized, we'll definitely make a comeback.
"That's only right...after all, I cultivate the [Female Earth] realm!"
Sangji clasped his hands together, for this kind of alliance based on shared interests was the most reassuring agreement in the Purple Mansion.
Master Xuan Tu laughed loudly, then looked down.
"Kill them!"
Fang Yixin felt completely bewildered. The Purple Mansion Formation seemed to be nonexistent, allowing them to storm into the Xuan Tu Sect's mountain gate.
Filled with hatred for the killing of his son, he drew his Xuanqing magic sword in an arc of light and killed a Taoist boy.
This young disciple must be a newly accepted disciple of the Xuan Tu Sect, only at the first level of the Qi Cultivation Realm, and doesn't even have a storage bag on him.
Several familiar cultivators nearby burst into laughter, surrounding an older cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, and exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist Fang, come quick! You can have a share of this man's storage bag!"
These cultivators, whether they were independent practitioners or from established Dao families, had never seen the extravagance of the Purple Mansion Immortal Sect before.
Upon entering the Xuan Tu Sect's mountain gate, they instantly transformed into locusts, plundering and killing indiscriminately...
Boom!
At the location of the Xuan Tu Sect's Daoist Treasury, a giant hammer wreathed in purple-gold appeared, smashing a Dao Foundation cultivator away.
It was Huang Tianhua who made the move.
He cultivated the [Di Tu] lineage, and the foundation he had built was "Twilight Mist". At this moment, a layer of gray mist floated around his body, and within it appeared the five poisonous creatures such as scorpions, centipedes, and vipers.
Ordinary cultivators who practice Qi cultivation will die instantly upon contact with it!
Even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage would have to give way.
"Hmph, these monk soldiers may seem powerful, but they're nothing but a rabble! They can't even find a single late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator..."
"Who's in charge of the formation? They truly deserve to die..."
Huang Tianhua roared, "Disciples of the Xuan Tu Sect, follow me and fight the enemy!"
Yu Xuanzi, holding a magic sword, hid far behind, his back drenched in cold sweat: "Fight you? Are you going to throw your life away? This Purple Mansion Formation suddenly malfunctioned, can't you see? A True Immortal must have intervened..."
Sure enough, not long after Huang Tianhua charged in, a guardian deity from Wusheng Temple came to meet him. The guardian was only at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, and his magical power was clearly weak: "I'll fight you!"
The guardian deity took out a piece of white bone from his robes, put it in his mouth and chewed it, then suddenly spat it out.
puff!
A sliver of moonlight, like crystal, falls, revealing a silhouette of white bones bathed in moonlight.
The moonlight lingered in Huang Tianhua's eyes. He suddenly knelt down and couldn't get up. The "Wengtian Zijin Hammer" in his hand was also thrown aside. Pieces of flesh fell off his body, and he unknowingly turned into a skeleton.
"Purple Mansion Techniques?!"
Upon witnessing this scene, Yu Xuanzi was terrified and tried to flee.
"Not good... This time my master has made too many concessions, and I'm afraid all the disciples in the sect will become pawns... The Seven Sons of Xuan Tu will not be left... It's just a pity that he realized this too late, and a fat black worm has appeared on his Dao foundation at some point."
The black insect vaguely resembled a human face, greedily clinging to the foundation of the Dao and sucking its blood.
Yu Xuanzi's expression changed, a black glint flashed in his eyes, and he shouted, "For the sake of the sect... what does it matter if I die?"
He immediately charged forward, but within a few rounds, he was slain again...
In an instant, cries and pleas for mercy echoed throughout the hanging mountain...
High above the heavens.
Master Xuan Tu watched this scene indifferently, like a high and mighty god, unmoved even by the slaughter of his sect and the looting of his treasury. Fang Qing, standing aside, noticed that both Master Xuan Tu and Sang Ji exuded extraordinary auras.
This is different from the "Wind and Rain" he had previously used in alchemy; rather, it is an interweaving of the imagery represented by the supernatural powers of the two Purple Palace Dharma Kings.
【Di Earth】dominates plagues, 【Nu Earth】is the soil where corpses accumulate. Combined, they represent endless warfare, rampant disease, exposed bones in the wilderness, and the land of the supreme rebirth…
This perfectly reflects the current dire situation in Litu County and Xuantu Sect!
"It's practically a complete funeral service..."
Relying on the protection of "Dao Sheng Zhu" and "Ru Zai Suan Zhong", Fang Qing still dared to complain in his heart.
At this moment, True Man Xuantu finally spoke: "The monk soldiers attacked Litu County, killing seven Dao Foundation Establishment cultivators from aristocratic families, and then broke through the Xuantu Mountain gate, killing six more direct line Dao Foundation Establishment cultivators, three of whom were of my direct bloodline. They converted countless people and plundered far and wide... Is the Dharma King satisfied?"
"You are a person with wisdom; the cause and effect are thus resolved. Well done..."
His Holiness Sangye Rinpoche clasped his hands together, his face showing compassion.
Fang Qing understood perfectly. He knew that this True Immortal Xuan Tu was hundreds of years old, and his descendants were separated by countless generations, yet their bond with him wasn't as strong as that with his direct disciples. In a critical moment, he wouldn't hesitate to push him out to his death.
Even if the entire Xuan Tu Sect were to disappear, as long as the Xuan Tu True Man is still alive, he can rebuild it anywhere in the world.
Once you achieve the Purple Mansion realm, everything else is insignificant!
"This is also the nobility of supernatural powers. Cultivators of the Purple Mansion Realm possess supernatural powers and have the ability to traverse the void. Unless a Great True Person takes action, or they are besieged in a special environment like a blessed land that isolates them from the void, it is difficult for them to perish. They always have to save some dignity for each other."
"However, now that [Stomach Earth] has attained enlightenment... it means that those important figures are gradually awakening and have more energy to focus on the present world... I'm afraid the Purple Mansion won't be able to enjoy its freedom for much longer."
Fang Yixin had a great time killing, and he had hidden several of them in his storage bags.
While he was envious, he followed the other cultivators and stormed into the Ancestral Hall of the Xuan Tu Sect.
The remaining cultivators of the Xuan Tu Sect are holding this place to the death, led by the last of the "Seven Sons of Xuan Tu".
"Alright, as long as we break through this place, the Xuan Tu Sect will be wiped out."
"We can avenge Wuchen now."
But just then, a conch shell sounded.
"Did the conch shell ring?"
Fang Yixin was taken aback. He looked around at the surrounding cultivators and found that everyone had stopped and were staring at each other in disbelief: "Mingluo is retreating?! Retreating now? Is the Xuantu Sect even going to be destroyed?"
He didn't want to leave, but a glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that Master Fayuan was retreating without hesitation. He immediately gritted his teeth and followed him out of the Xuantu Sect's mountain gate, where corpses littered the ground and blood flowed like rivers.
Not long after, the malfunctioning Purple Mansion Array suddenly shone brightly, displaying a scene of thousands of peaks and valleys, the Earthly Branches forming the Universe, and a radiant glow that blocked the greedy rogue cultivators. Faint screams could be heard from within.
Let's go!
Suddenly, Fang Yixin felt a tap on her shoulder.
He turned around and saw that it was Monk Fayuan. He quickly bowed and said, "Master..."
"You are able to rid yourself of the three poisons and are not deluded by greed, anger, and ignorance; you are indeed a person with wisdom..."
Monk Fayuan smiled and said, "It's time to go."
"This Xuan Tu Sect? They're not going to fight anymore?" Fang Yifan was still somewhat stunned.
"Let's stop fighting. Maybe we'll even become allies in the future." Monk Fayuan smiled mysteriously. "We'll go and occupy a few places bordering Xituo first... It's a pity your contribution was too small, you won't receive the reward of the sacred land."
"This battle is fraught with peril; what more could one ask for than to survive?"
Fang Yixin replied with a bitter smile, and thinking of his comrades who had survived, a thought came to mind:
"We know not why we are born, nor why we die..."