Chapter 211: Chapter 208: The Three Religions Join Forces
The yin energy pervading heaven and earth was swept away; had it not already been dusk, the yin souls might even have perished in the sunlight.
Even so, it was difficult for yin souls to survive for long.
Therefore, driven by the instinct to survive, the massive hordes of yin souls surged towards the only path of life—the Ghost Gate—in a frenzy.
One after another, they flooded into the Ghost Gate like a tide, engulfing the silhouette of Lu King, squeezing into his skin, pressing against his consciousness, gnawing on his soul body, and eroding his will.
In the Promotion Ceremony of ’The Soul Devoured by Ten Thousand Ghosts,’ one would be consumed by those ghosts if they couldn’t subdue them.
Lu King, already under the pressure imposed by both Giant Snake Baqi and White Lotus Saint Mother, was significantly affected. Now, as the yin energy had been cleared, the spookiness of the Ghost Gate had dissipated, and the already deceased Lu King was also weakened, incapable of suppressing the relentless ghost tide, and crazily bitten by yin souls.
"Stop!"
The body of Lu King swelled and shrank like a ball, with black energy corroding his entire body, making his appearance terrifying beyond measure.
"Commoners! Troublemakers! Lowlifes!"
"How dare you bite back at this prince, you······ Ah!"
Lu King looked up and howled in agony as billowing black smoke rose from his seven orifices. The black energy morphed into countless tiny faces, writhing manically.
And yet, the ghost tide never ceased.
Although a portion of it was already seized by the snake and White Lotus, the remaining number still exceeded one hundred thousand. This meant that Lu King had to endure the gnawing of one hundred thousand yin souls.
"What goes around comes around; isn’t that retribution unsatisfactory?"
Jiang Li looked on from afar and murmured softly, "This is quite in line with Buddhist principles. However, this retribution is indeed intense, lacking the compassion promoted by Buddhists."
The Great Brightness Mantra annihilated White Lotus and suppressed Giant Snake Baqi with overwhelming might. The ten-thousand-plus yin souls under this majesty should have been utterly soul-scattered, but in the end, they were intact, merely stripped of the yin energy.
Even Lu King had not been attacked by the Great Brightness Mantra.
It seemed that Buddhist Zhen Ru might have shown mercy to Lu King, even offering assistance. But in reality, Lu King was the one who suffered the most.
While the other two were simply repelled and suppressed, Lu King had to endure ’Soul Devoured by Ten Thousand Ghosts,’ being dragged into hell alive.
"Lu King’s promotion has failed······"
Jiang Li reached out to pluck off Ji Chengye’s storage magic tool, then gathered his corpse, armored suit, and Cliff Sword altogether into his own Storage Bracelet, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
Regarding the Sixth Grade Unique Tao Fruit on Ji Chengye’s body, Yuan Zhen and the others harbored the intent to snatch it away.
Even if such a powerful Dao Fruit was of no use to them, they could always provide it to their Sect members.
Having it in their possession was better than letting other forces acquire it.
But at this moment, everyone’s attention wasn’t focused on Ji Chengye’s corpse, or to be precise, there wasn’t much attention on it. What they were truly concerned about was Lu King.
Lu King, facing certain failure in his promotion, was bound to die, which also meant that······
The old man would implode with the Dao Fruit.
Not to mention the Dao Fruits of the last four grades, the Fifth Grade Dao Fruit he currently possessed and the Fourth Grade Yama Dao Fruit he intended to promote—all were treasures coveted by all parties.
Especially the Fourth Grade Dao Fruit, which one can never have too many of. Having one more Fourth Grade Dao Fruit meant one more option for their faction’s fifth-rank members to ascend.
Even without anyone’s need, the Fourth Grade Daoist Artifact was a significant treasure.
Jiang Li and Yuan Zhen, suspended outside the mountain, locked gazes, each sensing the other’s silently gathering momentum, like predators ready to pounce at any moment.
No need for superfluous words, both parties knew the other’s intentions, as well as the thoughts of others unseen in one word—snatch!
"Whoosh!"
A gust of wind arose, and Jiang Li, atop the mountain, had already turned into a streak of residual light, heading towards the direction of the Ghost Gate.
"Prince, the Devil God Sect’s Heluo God’s avatar comes to send you on your way."
As he flew, Jiang Li didn’t forget to pass the buck.
Although striking down Lu King was an act of justice in accordance with the heavens, Jiang Li had no desire for fame or fortune in his life; better to remain an unnamed hero.
However······
"How could my Desolate God Sect ever claim to be a Demon God? That is audacious, daring to impersonate the Nineteen Demons of my Desolate God Sect. I am the true avatar of Heluo God."
From below came an indignant shout, Zhang Daoyi condemning Jiang Li for the impersonation, then with a composed face, he surged towards the Ghost Gate.
If one had not seen him speak, they would never believe that a Daoist Lord’s Direct Disciple would be so animated.
But upon further thought, it made sense. The Daode Sect may follow the Righteous Path, but that didn’t mean its disciples turned themselves into models of rigidity. As long as their hearts remained true, a flexible approach could make their path smoother.
"Desolate God Sect’s Heluo God’s second avatar, here to bid the prince farewell."
Yuan Zhen also followed suit, his Sword Light tearing through the sky as he charged towards the Ghost Gate.
At the same time, electricity surged through the forest, Taiping Sect’s Law Order also was rapidly approaching, with the strongest Qi Mechanism belonging to none other than the Young Sect Leader, Yang Ji.
"Desolate God Sect’s Heluo God’s third avatar, here to claim the prince’s life."
Yang Ji declared loudly.
By then, whether they harbored grudges of life and death with Jiang Li and others didn’t matter anymore—the acquisition of the Dao Fruit was of the utmost importance.
In the blink of an eye, Heluo God had produced four additional selves, each exuding a pure Qi Mechanism, with not a hint of demon energy to be found.
About ten miles away from Qi Mountain, the true Heluo God stood on a branch of a large tree, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Hehehe—"
The Heluo God self, bearing the appearance of Fang Yesheng from the Upper Pure Sect, let out a series of eerie laughter, "I’ve never thought myself to be so remarkable, to the point that I could make the future pillars of the Daode Sect, the Dinghu Sect, and the Taiping Sect become extensions of myself..."
And to directly claim to be a self, which self would divulge such details? That’s too dismissive.
The right hand grasping on the tree trunk suddenly exerted strength, fingers embedding into the trunk. Strands of malevolent Qi surged forth, rapidly withering and altering the tree.
It never occurred to Heluo God, who always impersonated others, that there would come a day when he too would be impersonated. If the fluctuations within Heluo God’s heart at this moment could be turned into words, they would probably be:
—They slander me! They slander me! They slandered me!
That would certainly be the case unless his true body was being suppressed. Otherwise, Heluo God would at least have had these youngsters recognize the iron fist of a real victim.
At that moment, Xiao Jiuniang, standing nearby, suggested, "Great Heluo God, the Lu King is about to die. Shall we..."
Should we also partake in this struggle for power?
Although the clone of Heluo God was merely of the Seventh Grade, both his power and his mastery over strength were not something that a true Seventh-Grade Practitioner could match. If he joined this struggle, he would not be without chance of success.
However...
"The main issue is more pressing," Heluo God said placidly.
As for what that main issue was, he had not yet decided.
In any case, it was not about competing with this group of young people.
It was too dangerous.
Now that his true body was being suppressed, he had to rely on the various selves he had left earlier. It was better to be cautious, lest he become the first target.
’The one who made a move is definitely of the third grade; this time, I have thoroughly fallen and can only cling to the legs of the Great Venerable for support.’
Heluo God looked towards the towering Five Finger Mountain, lost in thought.
...
...
Elsewhere, the funeral procession for the Lu King also had arrived one after another near the Ghost Gate.
The pure Sword Light shot out belatedly but arrived first, dividing into nine streams of Sword Qi that slashed through the air with a force that seemed to tear heaven and earth apart.
To kill the Lu King and seize the Dao Fruit!
Taking advantage of the Lu King’s critical moment, facing the Soul Devoured by Ten Thousand Ghosts and the failure of his Promotion Ceremony, even a being of the Sixth Grade dared to test the waters.
"How dare you?!"
The Lu King, whose body teemed with countless Yin Souls, roared furiously, his darkened features twisting into a ferocious grimace.
He flipped his palm, and circular runes appeared in his palm, spreading to his fingers. The nine streams of Sword Qi, as if drawn by an invisible force, converged towards the Lu King’s palm and were obliterated by the terrifying Gravity.
The Lu King had also cultivated the "Form Tomb," also being an Earth Deity Dharma, but in terms of mastery over the cultivation technique, he surpassed Ji Chengye by more than a hundredfold.
However, now the Lu King had cut off all vitality, and suffering from the Soul Devoured by Ten Thousand Ghosts, such a forceful action indeed displayed immense might, yet it also revealed his weakness.
Given the gap between the top fifth rank and the lower four grades, even if the Lu King could withstand it with his Protective True Qi, he should have been able to block Yuan Zhen’s Sword Qi. His action, instead, had proven his frailty.
Moreover, after the Lu King pressed his palm, Yin Qi surged dramatically from his seven orifices, with the wails and howls of ghosts echoing nonstop as Ten Thousand Ghosts frenziedly gnawed on his Divine Soul.
Life had ceased, and now transitioning towards the Ghost Path, the Lu King was in a liminal state. He was in the midst of changing paths, but not having fully transitioned successfully, and having deviated from his original path, his Dao Fruit ability was also shackled, leaving him in a particularly awkward position.
At this moment, the Lu King couldn’t even overpower those of the Sixth Grade.
Following closely behind was Jiang Li, with eight qi manifesting around him, clamoring incessantly, expanding tenfold, a hundredfold. His True Qi transformed into clouds, violently roiling, and a massive Yinglong Dragon roared forth.
"Kill!" he shouted loudly.
"Kill!"
On the ground, Zhang Daoyi stirred up a fierce wind, rushing skyward with Demonic Qi, and his Ancient Sword unleashed monumental Sword Qi, formidable as wind and thunder.
"Kill!"
In the distance, thunder intertwined, the Thunder Eye opened wide, and rectangular Thunder Seals were struck from the air, aiming directly at the Lu King’s Heavenly Spirit.
Then, from the west, a Dragon Shadow suddenly appeared, with a white-robed Buddhist arriving astride the dragon, greeting with a smile: "Amitabha, this humble monk has been tasked to deliver salvation to the prince, to see our Buddha."
With a step, the monk soared into the air, and the White Dragon fiercely lunged forward, its mighty Buddha’s energy scattering the newly condensed ominous presence.
Simultaneously, a Sword Light surged upward like a waterfall, reaching for the heavens, as clear as the full moon and as cold as frost.
"Zhong Shenxiu!" the Lu King bellowed furiously, "How dare you commit such an offense?!"
The Confucian cultivators focus on the heart, prioritize propriety, and uphold loyalty to the sovereign as paramount. Deviation from this dictum could result in the weakening of one’s power.
Yet from below came only a faint voice: "Since when were laws and rituals so rigid and narrow-minded?"
The Sword Force and Sword Intent were resolute and unyielding, without a hint of hesitation, clearly displaying Zhong Shenxiu’s intent to kill.
Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist—the followers of the Three Religions jointly attacked, with Sword Light, thunder, Primordial Qi, and Dragon Shadow combined, surrounding the Lu King at the Ghost Gate for the kill!