Chapter 448: Chapter 166: Battle Across a Thousand Miles, Sword Beheads Arhat
A series of exchanges, like lightning hand, seemed like a rabbit starts and magpies fall. At one moment, Crossing River Arhat was seen retracting his Dharma Manifestation and transforming into an Arhat Golden Body to counterattack, but the next moment, he was forced to detonate his Golden Body and flee.
Hui Neng, watching from below, saw Jiang Li pursuing Crossing River Arhat with Sword Control. He thought about joining the chase, but then shook his head and said to Li An, "Benefactor, please summon the cultivators in the city to help this humble monk prevent the flood."
Although Jiang Li had cleaved a trench to drain the floodwaters, it was a temporary solution at best. Once the trench was filled, the floods would return.
Now that Li An had suffered heavy damage due to the broken water veins and couldn’t make a move, if no one helped, the flood here would definitely cause a disaster.
Hearing this, Li An was initially delighted but then hesitated and asked, "Won’t the monk save your fellow cultivator?"
"Saving Crossing River Arhat is saving, and saving the local people here is also saving. There is no difference in the importance of the two," Hui Neng clasps his hands together and said, "Other fellow cultivators will rescue Crossing River Arhat, but right now, the only help available for the local people here is this humble monk."
His gaze was steady, looking at Li An with a simplicity in his eyes that left Li An momentarily wordless.
Yes, they had to rely on this monk from Buddha Country.
Even if he suspected the monk intended to take the opportunity to spread his faith, he could still only rely on the monk. Surely he couldn’t let the whole city face crisis just to stop the spread of Buddhist teachings?
"I only hope I will not regret today’s decision," sighed Li An.
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Elsewhere, Buddha Light cut through the sky, weaving through fierce winds, with Sword Light flying swiftly behind like lightning.
Sword cultivators’ flying limits were extreme, very fast at their best, capable of being the fastest in the world, but at their worst, they feared falling from their swords. Jiang Li, though not a traditional sword cultivator, had merged with the Dao Fruit and sacrificially cultivated the Great Circle Sword into the Sky-reaching Spirit Sword. In terms of the Sword Dao, he was not inferior to true sword cultivators, additionally capable of Wind Control; his speed is imaginable.
If Crossing River Arhat hadn’t now discarded his physical body and flown only with his Dharma Manifestation, he would have been caught long ago.
Once caught, with the Five Vile Qi’s restraint against Dharma Manifestation, Crossing River Arhat’s death was certain.
Therefore, he dared not relax in the slightest, even actively burning his Dharma Manifestation’s telekinetic power to add roaring Golden Flames to the Buddha Light, enhancing himself to his utmost like a meteor, his speed so fast that even Jiang Li could not catch up.
But such a method, just like a meteor, couldn’t last long, at most a quarter of an hour, before Crossing River Arhat’s Dharma Manifestation would burn up entirely.
Life and death, within a quarter of an hour.
The Buddha Light flew, sweeping over several mountains before suddenly dipping down, flying over a floodwave below.
The intense Qi mechanism attracted devil cultivators making waves within the flood, and several black shadows rose from the murky waves.
But before they could reveal their true forms, Sword Light swept over, Sword Qi everywhere, chopping those several black shadows into sections, and blood stained the murky waves.
Jiang Li, now well established in his cultivation and needing to slay demons to integrate Dao Fruits, considered these devil cultivators approaching as nourishment for his Dao Fruits.
Sword Light flew unrestrainedly, chasing the Buddha Light, killing demons in his path, breaking waves facing him without any signs of slowing down.
"Amitabha, how can this Lawless Freedom have such profound power?!"
Crossing River Arhat too was shocked by Jiang Li’s speed; he was burning his foundation for such speed, but what was the other relying on, especially considering this Lawless Freedom was only Sixth Rank?
With this thought, Crossing River Arhat burned his Dharma Manifestation further, like a startled swan darting a shadow, following the flood to pass through a mountain, large masses of floodwaters surged wildly between two mountains, pouring down from a high slope.
Seeing this, Crossing River Arhat decided, landing on a massive rock on the left side of the flood, manifesting his ethereal transparent Dharma form.
Following closely, a streak of Sword Light arrived and stopped ten meters from Crossing River Arhat, revealing a figure in green robes.
"Has the master decided, and wishes to complete the merit for Li An?"
Jiang Li reached out to grasp the Sword Light, the Great Circle Sword materializing into the form of the Qixing Dragon Abyss in his hand, gleaming with sword radiance.
"Good indeed, good indeed. Benefactor, it’s not too late to retreat now."
Crossing River Arhat calmed his impatience, his body ethereal and unstable, yet still managed to show a composed demeanor, "Otherwise······"
"Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, don’t blame us for not showing mercy and liberating you."
On the mountainsides to the left and right, two Arhat Dharma forms appeared.
One sat calmly on a divine deer; the other upheld a seven-tiered pagoda, majestic and yet not angry.
These were the Riding Deer Arhat and Tota Arhat, each one of the eighteen Arhats.
And in the rear, a wide-bodied monk with bare chest and happy face, pressing palm to heart like a Maitreya Buddha, blocked the way back.
"The one from Daode Sect once instructed the Karma Tathagata, causing great suffering in our Buddha Country, liberating you today can also be seen as consoling those fellows who perished long ago." The Tota Arhat, with a magnificent visage, voiced sounding like a big bell.
"Retreat quickly, there’s still a sliver of a chance for life," said the Riding Deer Arhat indifferently.
The fat monk at the back smiled without a word, exuding an aura of serenity.
"Three fellow cultivators, please be careful. The news received earlier is correct; those people have indeed mastered the ’Moluo Sword Manual,’" warned the Crossing River Arhat.
Since the Buddha Country was intent on saving those in suffering, it wouldn’t just be the Crossing River Arhat taking action. People from the Buddha Country were scattered throughout the commanderies around, including cultivators of equal or greater power than the Crossing River Arhat, reaching as high as the fifth-rank.
He emitted his Qi to attract fellow cultivators to join him, and now that three Arhats had gathered, their combined strength was far superior to the opposition. However, they still needed to be cautious of any underhanded tricks from the other side.
Upon hearing this, the three Arhats’ expressions remained unchanged; they only expanded their Buddha Light to permeate the surroundings. While the Moluo Sword Manual was indeed insidious, with the cultivation of the opponents, it still wasn’t enough to truly twist reality. As long as they were on guard beforehand, stealth attacks could be prevented.
At the same time, they linked their Qi Mechanisms, forming an isolated area as if drawing a prison on the ground.
They suggested Jiang Li should retreat, not because they were unsure of defeating the opponent, but if given more time to set up, they might indeed be able to truly transcend this incarnation of Taibai True Monarch.
It might seem overly cautious to target a Sixth Rank like this, but the opponent was wielding a technique that harnessed the Five Vile Qi, and was an independent incarnation of a third-rank power with a noted history of slaying fifth-ranks.
If they weren’t careful enough, the Crossing River Arhat would be a cautionary tale.
In response, Jiang Li simply laughed lightly and raised his sword, his sword momentum beginning.
"Be careful, he is going to strike," Tota Arhat warned.
Due to his Dao Fruit, Tota Arhat possessed the Five Divine Powers. Even before Jiang Li’s sword momentum was released, he sensed it and was able to clearly pinpoint Jiang Li’s target -
—Crossing River Arhat.
Right now, Crossing River Arhat was at the end of his tether. Just one more strike and Jiang Li could send him off to meet the Buddha in the Western Pure Land. If Jiang Li were to strike, it truly made sense to target him first. Picking the softest target was an eternal truth.
This warning was specifically directed at Crossing River Arhat.
However...
"It’s not about to strike,"
Jiang Li’s figure suddenly appeared in front of Crossing River Arhat, and his Sword Light flashed, "It has already struck."
As Tota Arhat started speaking, Jiang Li employed the Qimen and Dragon and Snake Body Secret Technique to speed up his movements, closing within ten steps, then shifting space, instantly bridging the final distance.
Tota Arhat’s first word had not yet reached Crossing River Arhat’s ears when Jiang Li had already arrived; he and Crossing River Arhat heard the sound simultaneously.
The icy sword tip pierced through the Dharma Form’s chest. Crossing River Arhat listened incredulously as two phrases entered his ears one after the other—seamlessly connected as if spoken by one person.
He widened his eyes, fixing them on Jiang Li, unable to suppress the frustration in his heart, even with the Arhat Dao Fruit’s divine powers.
He died, ironically right after the rescue had arrived, killed by this sudden strike. If Crossing River Arhat had simply fled, then Jiang Li wouldn’t have been sure of a killing blow with one strike. But since Crossing River Arhat didn’t flee, he couldn’t blame Jiang Li for showing no mercy.
He would claim this honor.
A series of Sword Lights emanated from the Dharma Form of Crossing River Arhat, bursting out from various points as the long sword twisted—the sword Qi exploded—
"Clang!"
Crossing River Arhat was shattered into pieces.
[In that instant, Jiang Li keenly felt a subtle change in his Dao Fruit. He could sense his Dao Fruit merging into his body, Divine Soul, and karma—a thrilling tremor, almost signaling that his Dao Fruit was on the verge of reaching Perfection.]
[Amitabha, how wonderful, how wonderful. I never expected that Crossing River Arhat was actually a Devil’s Child infiltrating the Buddhist ranks. Today, I am indeed cleaning the Buddhist house of deceit.]
Being able to bring about the fusion of his Dao Fruit meant he was no ordinary person. Jiang Li bluntly defined this as his criteria for recognition while simultaneously drawing on the Five Vile Qi.
"Boom!"
The massive rock where Crossing River Arhat was located was shattered by two True Qi forces, with debris flying. Amid it, a murky Qi formed a Qi Shield, blocking external Qi Force.
Not even pausing to mourn Crossing River Arhat, Tota Arhat and Riding Deer Arhat immediately took action.
Now that Crossing River Arhat’s demise was inevitable, the priority was to ensure that the Dao Fruit that had split off from him was not lost. Thus, both Arhats didn’t even wait for Crossing River Arhat’s Dharma Form to be completely obliterated before acting.
But what they could think of, Jiang Li could also anticipate.
The Five Vile Qi blocked the Buddha’s energy. Although the huge stone had shattered, Jiang Li was still on the spot.
The Physical Body of Crossing River Arhat had already been obliterated, and now that his Dharma Form was severed, the Divine Soul hosted within was utterly annihilated. Most of the Buddha Country cultivators’ Divine Souls were merged with their External Dharma Forms. Even those who reached the fifth-rank rarely cultivated a separate Primordial Spirit; rather, their Dharma Form was their Primordial Spirit.
With the Physical Body obliterated and the Dharma Form severed, there was nowhere left for the Dao Fruit to reside, causing it to split off faster than would typically occur in fallen cultivators.
Among the flying debris, several solid Golden Flames were about to emerge, with one distinctly containing the phantom of Crossing River Arhat.
The Dao Fruit was on the verge of splitting.
But at that moment, a Golden Arhat appeared—it was Tota Arhat arriving in time, his Pagoda flying from his palm like pushing a huge mountain, its massive weight suppressing everything below, striking with a force completely disproportionate to its size.