As Yang Hong completed the Five Directions Five Elements Thunder Array, a terrifying battle was unfolding in the distant Xiqu Prefecture.
"Humans! You mere food dare to defy the great Demon Race!"
Above a raging forest, a burly cultivator in black robes, nine feet tall with a refined appearance, glared at his two enemies ten miles away, his eyes flickering with black, furious flames.
"Demon whelp, how audacious! You are but a Heavenly Demon, yet you dare to bluster before a True Immortal and a Bodhisattva!"
Opposite the black-robed cultivator stood a bald monk in golden robes and an ethereal fairy dressed in moon-white silken attire. As the monk spoke, his purple prayer beads emanated boundless golden Buddhist light.
"Mere food, no matter how many, are still food. Hey, little lady, surrender to me, and I shall spare your life!"
The black-robed demon sneered at the monk, then leered at the fairy in moon-white with impure intent. However, the fairy didn't even spare him a glance. She turned to the monk beside her and said, "Jing Kong, stop wasting time. Kill him directly. He's obviously stalling."
"Fairy Ming Qin, if he's stalling, aren't we doing the same?" Bodhisattva Jing Kong smiled with gentle warmth. His ordinary face bloomed with infinite charm, momentarily stunning Fairy Ming Qin.
Just then, the black-robed demon, who had been grinning lewdly, moved.
*Bang!*
In less than the blink of an eye, in the moment Fairy Ming Qin was dazed, the black-robed demon traversed ten miles and sent her flying dozens of miles, stopping only when she crashed into a mountain peak.
"You damnable demon, you fight dirty!"
Jing Kong finally realized he had messed up, leaving his teammate in trouble! But he wouldn't admit fault; it was the demon's fault. Filled with rage, he flung his purple prayer beads forward.
"Amitabha! Vajra's Wrathful Gaze! Immovable Wisdom King's Fire!"
As he spoke, the purple prayer beads swelled dramatically. Eighteen hundred-foot-tall golden Buddha statues rose from within, each in a different posture. As soon as they appeared, they unleashed intense golden light, trapping the black-robed demon. Then, the eighteen statues ignited with crimson Buddhist flames, burning towards the demon.
"Heh heh heh... losing your temper, are we? Excellent. Rage breeds demons. This venerable one awaits the day you bald donkey become a demon."
As the crimson Buddhist flames neared him, the black-robed demon chuckled sinisterly, as if the flames, which reached tens of thousands of degrees, were mere warm spring water, comfortable and pleasant.
"Hmph. Eight Divisions Demonic Subjugation Array! Rise!"
Following Jing Kong's command, boundless golden Buddhist light erupted from the ground. Within the light appeared Devas, Nagas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas, Kinnaras, and Mahoragas – the eight classes of guardians of Buddhism, all surrounding the black-robed demon!
"Hahaha... Finally can't hold back, can you? You think you're the only one prepared? Do you think this venerable one is made of mud? Cicada's Third Watch Death Announcing Array!"
The black-robed demon laughed heartily, revealing his trump card. Outside the Eight Divisions Demonic Subjugation Array, countless black mists surged, rapidly forming a colossal cicada that blotted out the sky. The cicada appeared silently and unhesitatingly bit down upon the golden light array, its very presence encapsulating the formation.
Seeing this, beads of sweat appeared on Jing Kong's gleaming scalp. He continuously formed seals to activate the array while shouting loudly, "Fairy Ming Qin! Fellow immortals of the Immortal Sect! Quickly! Quickly activate your formations!" He now deeply regretted his actions. He should never have been swayed by beauty and used his charming Buddhist techniques on Fairy Ming Qin. Now, he was risking his own life.
"Bald donkey! I'll settle this with you later. Nine Heavens Violet Thunder Demonic Subjugation Array! Rise!"
From the distant mountain, Fairy Ming Qin spat out a mouthful of golden blood, cursed, and immediately activated the Immortal Sect's preparations. Within a hundred-mile radius, violet-black clouds instantly covered the sky, and countless violet lightning bolts struck down. The condensed black mist cicada was significantly dispersed, and golden Buddhist light began to seep from within the cicada.
"Little brats, come out and devour these food!"
The black-robed demon's voice echoed through the heavens and earth. Within a ten-thousand-mile radius, over a hundred black figures shot into the sky, rushing towards them, their demonic might pressing in from all directions! Although the demons acted later than the immortals and Buddhas, their overall strength far surpassed that of the immortals and Buddhas, and they had sent over a hundred demons into the Taiyuan Continent. However, these were merely demonic souls descending, and their cultivation levels were not very high.
"Kill! Demon eradication is today!"
"Charge! Buddha's compassion!"
"Purple energy comes from the east for thirty thousand miles!"
"Purifying Golden Light!"
As the demons approached within a thousand miles, over a thousand venerable Buddhist monks and over a hundred immortal sect members simultaneously emerged from the periphery, encircling them all. Various lights flashed across the sky and earth, momentarily dimming the midday sun!
"Are you mad? To descend to this world with so many immortals at once, aren't you afraid the Heavenly Dao of this planet will collapse?"
Seeing so many immortals descend from the Buddhist and Immortal Sects, the black-robed demon's expression changed drastically.
"As long as we can eradicate the demons, what does it matter if a planet's Heavenly Dao collapses? Besides, the Heavenly Dao is immortal and will only conceal itself!" Bodhisattva Jing Kong replied with a smile, his Buddhist light shining even brighter. As he exuded his aura, golden Buddhist light erupted in the sky, and the phantom image of a grand gateway appeared, slowly solidifying.
"The Gate of Ascension? You Buddhists are truly insane. Aren't you afraid I'll shatter your Gate of Ascension directly?"
"Not afraid. Because you cannot break it! *Lin!*"
*Boom boom boom!*
As Jing Kong's voice fell, the Gate of Ascension slowly opened, its immense suction pulling in the immortals, Buddhas, and demons whose power exceeded the limits of the Taiyuan Continent.
"Bald donkey! You've conned me too!"
The first to be sucked into the Gate of Ascension was Fairy Ming Qin. Already injured from the black-robed demon's earlier attack, she was completely unable to steady herself and was pulled in. Jing Kong, on the other hand, took out a golden spiritual talisman from his storage ring and affixed it to his forehead. The suction force of the Gate of Ascension immediately halved.
"Hundred individuals with the lowest cultivation, link your auras with the demon whelps. Others, use Void-Spirit Talismans." Jing Kong loudly addressed the Buddhist cultivators within a ten-thousand-mile radius, also notifying the Immortal Sect members. It was his apology to Fairy Ming Qin.
"Bald donkey! If I survive this day, I will destroy your Buddhist sect and exterminate your lineage!"
Amidst his roars, the black-robed demon was also pushed into the Gate of Ascension by the repulsion and suction force of the heavenly rules.
"Hmph. You still wish to live? Beyond the Gate of Ascension lies our Buddhist sect's Pool of Merit Purification. How could you possibly survive such immense merit!"
Although the immortals and Buddhas' preparations were rushed, this tactic had actually been planned for tens of thousands of years, awaiting actual verification. The practical effect was excellent. The Golden Immortals of the Upper Realm had stated that only those who ascended could return to the Upper Realm; immortals could not return normally, but being drawn in by the Gate of Ascension was equivalent to ascending. It could only be said that the Buddhist sect was truly ruthless and willing to make sacrifices, not even informing their allies.
In the time it took for a cup of tea to steep, all the demons were sent into the Gate of Ascension, followed by over 130 venerable Buddhist monks and the unfortunate Fairy Ming Qin.
"Now, all immortals and Buddhas, disperse and hunt down all demons and demonic cultivators, leaving none alive! Immortal and Buddhist cultivators, search the entire continent and eliminate all gold-devouring ants!"
Following Bodhisattva Jing Kong's command, the demon cultivators and hidden demons were quickly found and, under overwhelming strength, were soon completely annihilated.
By the time Yang Hong heard this news, it was already a year later!