Chapter 230
A barrage of explosions followed—but unlike earlier struggles against severed arms by individual swords alone…
This time—the first sway of the sword lotus severed three hundred arms cleanly!
Everyone gaped in shock at its terrifying power—their souls quaking within them—even Buddhas trembled uncontrollably—their composure shattered…
Shakyamuni shouted urgently—to barely stabilize things…
Golden light spread anew—as severed arms regenerated—but too many had been cut off at once—they couldn’t all regenerate instantly…
Meanwhile—the sword lotus swayed again!
Extreme sharpness erupted once more—with life-and-death dragons entwined around it—the lotus not only grew stronger but gained two additional types of sword qi—seven-colored light surged forth—killing intent overflowing!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This time four hundred arms were severed cleanly!
High above—the once sacred yet sinister Thousand-Armed Buddha now appeared almost comical—with countless bare stumps waving futilely amidst swirling golden light desperately trying to regenerate—but unable to keep up…
Buddhas’ hearts filled with fear—their composure shattered—even Shakyamuni struggled to maintain stability—the Myriad Buddha Formation wavered…
Meanwhile—the seven-colored sword lotus swayed for a third time!
Layer upon layer of interwoven sword shadows and petals exuded an otherworldly beauty—sword qi filled every corner of space—slashing toward all Buddhas present!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Thousand-Armed Buddha now had only one or two hundred arms left flailing desperately…
No matter how hard it tried to resist—the sword qi remained unstoppable—its sharpness unmatched…
Everyone held their breath—their eyes fixed on this scene above them—Daoist Realms’ faces lit up with excitement—it seemed that breaking through this formation was imminent!
“Will all these Buddhist powerhouses fall today?”
Hearts trembled at such thoughts—even those who despised Buddhism couldn’t help but feel admiration for their willingness to sacrifice themselves for others—a noble sentiment easier said than done…
Daoist Realms shook their heads slightly—exhaling softly—they had to admit that these Buddhists’ selflessness surpassed their own sects’ ideals…
Within the Myriad Buddha Formation…
Buddhas entered nirvana one by one—their golden relics merged into Shakyamuni—Ning Changge watched with mild surprise—but didn’t intervene…
It was simple—
This benefited him without harm—
Twenty ordinary relics versus one superior relic—it was clear which would be more beneficial—
As relics’ power fused through the formation—Shakyamuni’s aura surged once more!
This wasn’t like Golden Wheel forcibly merging relics—
It was true fusion—
Requiring both formation power and voluntary sacrifice—
Shakyamuni rose slowly—glancing regretfully at where Buddhas had sat moments ago—they revered him as World Honored One—but he felt he hadn’t fulfilled that role adequately in this life—a burden on his conscience…
As he stood—the Myriad Buddha Formation dissolved—or rather—
Shakyamuni became one with it—a formation unto himself—his power even more concentrated than before—
He faced Ning Changge solemnly:
“Buddhism began with me—and if it must end—it shall end with me.”
He stood tall—his presence towering over all—
A crack appeared between Shakyamuni’s brows—a third eye opening slowly—a Buddhist eye—its gaze causing space itself to tremble momentarily—
In shocked silence—
They watched as Shakyamuni merged completely with the colossal Thousand-Armed Buddha!
In that moment—the Thousand-Armed Buddha became Shakyamuni—and vice versa—with three eyes open on its face—the vertical eye emanating deep blood-red light—a malevolent force lurking within—
“If I do not enter hell—who will?”
The vast Buddhist voice echoed across heaven—
The vertical eye widened suddenly—a beam of blood-red light shot forth—hurtling toward the seven-colored sword lotus!
The lotus swayed for a fourth time—
Countless sword qi erupted violently—but within that blood-red beam lay terrifying power rivaling even those unstoppable sword strikes—colliding fiercely against them!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sword qi flew everywhere—each strike carving deep fissures into earth below—
The lotus swayed repeatedly—
Yet Shakyamuni’s blood-red gaze remained unyielding—holding its ground against them—a stalemate seemed imminent…
Breaths held tightly by all watching below—
Today’s battle—
Revealed trump card after trump card—a rollercoaster ride for emotions—and now they saw clearly—that Buddhism had reached its limit—or else they wouldn’t have sacrificed all their Buddhas like this…
Now—
It depended on whether Little Immortal had any cards left up his sleeve…
All eyes turned toward Ning Changge—seeing his gaze calm as ever—unperturbed by anything happening around him—as if everything lay within his grasp already…
Ning Changge observed Shakyamuni closely—
The stalemate between seven-colored sword lotus and blood-red gaze didn’t faze him at all—
He pointed casually—
Finally activating Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace which had remained silent until now—
All eyes were drawn instantly toward it—
Watching as Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace expanded rapidly beyond anything seen before—even more so than when Ning Changge’s avatar first appeared earlier—it grew until reaching nine hundred ninety-nine zhang high!
This marked its ultimate limit—
Black Samadhi True Fire erupted wildly from within—it became a mountain of flames towering over everything below—it dawned on everyone then—that Samadhi True Fire hadn’t been used yet against Myriad Buddha Formation earlier either…
“But can such terrifying World Honored One be dealt with using only Samadhi True Fire?”
Doubts arose briefly before eyes widened again—
Watching as enormous Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace descended swiftly—engulfing several hundred zhang tall Thousand-Armed Buddha entirely within itself!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace crashed down from above—collapsing what remained of Emperor Treading Peak beneath its weight—a seismic upheaval shook everything around them making standing difficult…
Bang! Boom!
The furnace walls shook violently as Shakyamuni struggled inside—but Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace remained unyielding like Mount Tai itself!
Next moment—
Endless Samadhi True Fire erupted from every direction within—
Manifesting countless visions leaving onlookers aghast—and there was more still—as Ning Changge pointed skyward again:
“Thunder!”
Instantly dark clouds rolled overhead—the heavens charged with divine might—
“Jade Celestial Pivot Thunder; Divine Firmament Thunder; Great Cave Earth Thunder; Immortal Capital Earth Thunder—descend!”
Under Words Become Reality’s influence—
Heavenly Four Thunders’ power became unimaginably terrifying!
One after another massive azure-purple thunder dragons descended from above plunging into Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace joining forces with Samadhi True Fire creating wondrous reactions together inside!
Ning Changge’s calm voice resonated across heaven:
“This is Four Symbols Heavenly Thunder & True Fire Formation—to refine your Buddhist body—is there any objection?”
He felt something stir within him—
Gaining deeper understanding about Minor Heavenly Calculation Technique’s mysteries—not specific details but overall trajectory proved accurate nonetheless—
Such divine ability deserved further exploration—for karmic deduction techniques held immense potential worth pursuing diligently over time…
Everyone stood dumbfounded trembling slightly—they hadn’t expected Ning Changge’s thunderous methods would come so swiftly following Buddhists’ sacrificial display just moments ago—they’d barely shown some potential before being consumed entirely within Mountain-and-River Spirit-Gathering Furnace subjected now under heavenly thunderous flames’ relentless refinement process instead…