Chapter 210: Chapter 207: The Yellow Sparrow Follows, Another Yellow Sparrow Lurks
True Qi gradually converged, and the form of the Yinglong Dragon slowly dissipated, revealing Jiang Li’s true body.
He looked up at the sky, gazing distantly at the rising Ghost Gate, his body still enveloped in golden light.
Ji Chengye was dead, and next in line was Lord Lu.
Not just him, but all the living people around Qi Mountain were now focusing on the distant sky.
Myriads of gloomy shadows howled and spiraled, converging towards the Ghost Gate with a violent momentum, like terrifying tidal waves or magnificently like rivers flowing into the sea.
Shadows from all directions converged into more than ten dark torrents, charging towards the Ghost Gate.
Within the majestic and spectacular gate, the energy of Yin Ming stirred up dark hues, and amidst them, a majestic figure was beginning to emerge, a presence that intimidated Ten Thousand Ghosts was descending.
If all the Yin Spirits were suppressed and subdued, collected into the Ghost Gate, it meant the success of the Promotion Ceremony; otherwise, it would fail—not only would there be no promotion, but souls would scatter.
Jiang Li had already silently readied the Great Brightness Mantra, prepared to surprise Lord Lu with an "unexpected gift."
And then, he saw what a real surprise was.
The mountains surged, the earth split open, and one ferocious dragon head after another rose up, towering like eight mountains, their blood-red eyes mocking the surging torrents.
"Lord Lu, you can’t handle so many Yin Souls. Let me alleviate your burden."
Like mountainous bodies, an immense Demon energy emanated, forming a cloud of eight colors on top of their heads. The dragon-like snake heads opened their mouths and inhaled, instantly splitting the stream, and eight rivers of Yin Souls vanished into the gaping maws.
"Heluo God!"
A furious voice came from within the Ghost Gate.
"Giant Snake Baqi!" Jiang Li exclaimed as well.
Elder Tianxuan had shared details of the attack on the Dinghu Sect with Jiang Li, and by then, Jiang Li had already guessed about the Fourth Grade Dao Fruit of Heluo God, but witnessing the snake’s immense body and overwhelming demon energy still shocked him.
At the same time, Jiang Li was surprised by the appearance of the Giant Snake Baqi.
"Wait, I remember Feng Manlou mentioned that Lord Lu was gravely wounded by Da Feng and Zaochi of the Devil God Sect..."
Jiang Li recalled this news.
Before, he just thought the Devil God Sect was causing trouble again, truly a source of chaos; now, he thought perhaps Lord Lu’s survival was not because of a slip on their part, but rather a deliberate choice.
They purposefully left Lord Lu wounded but alive to bring about this scenario.
"But to facilitate Lord Lu’s promotion, the Devil God Sect would need to ensure the Yama Dao Fruit fell into his hands and, knowing his nature, compel him to desperately cling to life..."
The intricacies behind the scenes were more complex than what met the eye; if the Devil God Sect was indeed involved, it was unclear how much effort they had expended to bring about this outcome.
"If that’s truly the case, the Devil God Sect isn’t just a scapegoat."
Jiang Li had to admit, his view of the Devil God Sect needed reconsideration.
Meanwhile, afar, the Giant Snake Baqi swallowed Yin Souls, its demon energy surged, the immense body emitting turbid copper aura, constantly escalating its ferocity.
Natural disasters spawned massive amounts of Disaster Qi, partially healing the snake, and the current stream of Yin Souls was like Healing Holy Medicine; the rich Yin Death Netherworld Qi and overflowing Resentment made the snake sigh in relief, as if drinking Immortal Dew.
But it wasn’t over yet.
A huge White Lotus flew from the west, a thousand petals unfolding, faint Buddhist chants echoing True Words.
"Boundless and steadfast, they are the dharma bodies of all Buddhas. Heaven and Earth may perish, but the True Void is indestructible, the Buddhist form of all things."
"Heaven has limits, space is limitless, the bodies of Buddhas. The Great Void, unshakable, the Buddha achieves the dharma body."
...
A faint, refreshing fragrance spread through the air, numerous normal-sized White Lotuses bloomed across the sky, attracting strands of Yin Souls.
As these Yin Souls neared the White Lotuses, they quickly shed their Yin Qi, transforming into small figures sitting atop the lotuses, their serene and tranquil essence permeating their beings, highlighting serene and peaceful smiles.
"Lifeless Mother, True Void Home."
The purified Yin Souls murmured these cryptic words, ascending slowly on the lotuses, gradually fading as if entering another world.
"The White Lotus Saint Mother of Buddha Country."
Yuan Zhen watched the scene, inevitably announcing this title.
"Buddhist Country..." Jiang Li also murmured softly.
Buddha Country had predicted the emergence of King Yanluo and had its responses ready — Jiang Li thought Buddhist Zhen Ru’s actions were Buddha Country’s response, but now it seemed not necessarily so.
Perhaps, the White Lotus Saint Mother was Buddha Country’s real response.
But if the White Lotus Saint Mother intervened, why would Buddhist Zhen Ru give Jiang Li the Great Brightness Mantra?
Or could it be that Buddhist Zhen Ru was not of Buddha Country?
Regardless of what Jiang Li thought, the arrival of the White Lotus was a fact, it and the Giant Snake Baqi divided the stream of Yin Souls, significantly reducing the momentum of the Gathering of Ten Thousand Ghosts, causing the spreading Netherworld Qi of death to begin to wane.
Jiang Li suddenly realized that he might not need to use the Great Brightness Mantra.
"Could it be that the Great Brightness Mantra is now following me?" He suddenly had an unpleasant premonition.
The Great Brightness Mantra was a valuable asset, and it was thanks to it that Jiang Li was able to quickly advance in the Yinglong Transformation and metamorphose into Yinglong’s skin. However, holding onto the Great Brightness Mantra for a long period made him feel somewhat uneasy.
The artifacts from the Buddhist realms weren’t easy to handle, and it was likely that using them for too long could result in both the man and the item being claimed by the Buddhist realms.
Thinking thus, Jiang Li already entertained the idea of throwing the item away and leaving.
The Ghost Gate swung wide open, with King Yan seeking promotion, and the Giant Snake Baqi, who was engaging in a power struggle, was now joined by the White Lotus descending to earth to save the lost souls, instantly creating a three-way standoff.
But among these three, there were differences in strength.
Though the Giant Snake Baqi was seriously injured, it had now absorbed Disaster Qi and Yin Souls, which relieved much of its pain, and it was currently displaying the might of a Demon God.
The White Lotus Saint Mother, though not descending as her true self, demonstrated extraordinary momentum; countless White Lotuses danced in the air, serene and ethereal, manifesting the purity of True Void.
Compared to these two, the figure within Ghost Gate was undoubtedly in the weakest position, being oppressed by both and gradually losing ground as Yin Souls were forcibly taken by both the Giant Snake Baqi and the White Lotus.
"Hehehe, Lord Lu, wouldn’t it be easier for you to just accept death? The sins borne from harming the citizens of Yong Province are now mine to absorb," the Giant Snake Baqi issued a hoarse, mocking laugh, constantly absorbing Yin Souls, "Don’t even think about court reinforcements. My colleagues are all ready to spring into action. Any fourth-rank brave enough to leave their post should prepare for ten more Promotion Ceremonies for King Yan."
The implication was clear: no one was coming to aid Lord Lu.
With the White Lotus and the Giant Snake absorbing Yin Spirits above and below, more than ten streams visibly reduced in size, trapping the figure within the Ghost Gate in a severely passive position.
"Die? No! I will not die!"
Surrounded by Yin energy within Ghost Gate, Lord Lu, pale-faced and pumped with Yin Qi, had already severed all lifelines; his physical body had turned into a mere vessel temporarily housing his Divine Soul.
Having embarked on the path of promotion, there was no turning back for him.
He did not want to die!
So...
Netherworld Energy descended from the heavens, purging mountains and lands. Everywhere it passed, chilling cold spread quickly, filled with ghostly wails and howls of wolves.
When faced with a losing battle, the only solutions to the shortage of Yin Souls were either to find a new source or to conserve what they had.
To conserve meant to wager one’s own essence and the degree of synchronization with the Dao Fruit, forcibly advancing in rank, whereas finding a new source meant harvesting more lives, creating more Yin Souls.
Having lost ten thousand, bring forth another ten thousand; lose much, harvest as much.
Lord Lu was driven into a corner with death as his only other option.
"Exactly, that’s how it should be."
Watching the spread of Yin Ming, the Giant Snake Baqi burst into maniacal laughter, "Without going mad, one cannot survive; without the resolve to abandon everything, how can one achieve the rank of fourth-grade?"
The more people who died, the stronger the Disaster Qi became, and the greater the benefit for the Giant Snake Baqi. Even the thought of such a future made its huge body tremble.
Isn’t it wonderful when both of us benefit?
As the Giant Snake began fantasizing about the future, the Great Brightness Mantra on Jiang Li finally reacted.
Blazing with majesty, it illuminated Jiang Li’s entire body, a splendid golden radiance soared from him into the sky, sweeping away Yin energy and demon miasma; even the myriad White Lotuses began to continuously vanish.
The laughter of the Giant Snake came to an abrupt halt, as if its vital points had been gripped; its red eyes frantically fluctuated.
"This Qi Mechanism... Thr..."
Before it could finish speaking, a colossal hand emerged within the golden light, its fingers majestic like pillars supporting the sky. Six golden characters revolved around the hand, causing everything in the world to freeze at its emergence. The wind halted, clouds stopped moving, White Lotuses paused midair, and Yin Qi solidified.
Even time seemed to halt at this moment.
Jiang Li felt as though his thoughts were trapped in amber, unable to function, his eyes witnessing the expanding shadow of that large hand, as if it filled the universe.
Then, his vision darkened, losing all perception of the outside world.
’My perception cannot handle observing this hand and has automatically shut down...’
This thought had not yet completed when Jiang Li lost consciousness, his thinking interrupted.
But the records of Karma Collection continued.
[Infinite brightness appeared on the giant hand, enlightening all directions, all phenomena clear. The White Lotuses in this brightness vanished away; the Yin Ming energy swept clean; and the Giant Snake, suppressed by a sudden mountainous emergence, the land violently shook, a massive mountain replaced where the Giant Snake had been.]
[Buddhist Zhen Ru deceived Jiang Li; this was not meant to suppress Ten Thousand Ghosts, or rather, Ten Thousand Ghosts weren’t worthy of being suppressed by it.]
[Its true target was the other entities appearing in this Promotion Ceremony.]
[In an instant, the disruptor pulled out, Infinite Brightness vanished in a blink, and Jiang Li regained consciousness.]
He opened his eyes and saw the setting sun near its descent, casting a dying light. Far in the distance, Ghost Gate stood firm, but the pervasive Yin Ming energy had vanished without a trace.
Only revealing the true face of Lord Lu, and...
Countless Yin Souls crazily rushing towards Ghost Gate under the sunset.