"Amitabha, please lend us a hand, and Immovable Temple will be eternally grateful."
An old monk with a white beard and a benevolent demeanor separated from the group and flew before Yang Hong and his party, requesting aid.
This old monk was at the ninth-tier Mahayana realm, yet he politely asked for help, making it difficult for Yang Hong to refuse.
"Alright, since Master is so sincerely inviting, I, this young master, cannot refuse to act. .oΓg
Minions, help Master drive away these great bugs!"
Yang Hong shouted, and over 300 bottles of Iron Thorn Wine appeared around him. The vanguard members beside him immediately had their eyes turn red.
Having just effortlessly entered the lair of the Li Huo Flying Locusts, they knew this Iron Thorn Wine was truly good stuff, a life-saving treasure in the face of the Li Huo Flying Locusts' threat.
With a single thought from everyone, three bottles were instantly distributed per person.
Under the old monk's bewildered gaze, led by Yang Hong, 111 people each opened a bottle of Iron Thorn Wine and unleashed it using a rain-making spell.
A thin rain of spiritual wine slowly descended upon the cave spanning over ten square kilometers.
The old monk sniffed the wine aroma in the air and asked in confusion,
"This is wine?
Young friend, do you intend to get these Li Huo Flying Locusts drunk with wine?"
"Mmm, you could say that. I heard locusts dislike the smell of wine, so I prepared some. Look, the locusts indeed don't like the wine and are starting to scatter."
Yang Hong pointed at the Li Huo Flying Locusts below, which had begun to scatter in disarray. Among them were the seventh, eighth, and ninth-tier locusts that had already been converted by Buddhism.
"Not good!"
The old monk exclaimed, glared at Yang Hong, and instantly appeared on the ground, his body radiating golden Buddhist light, directly evaporating the Iron Thorn Wine in the cave.
With a boom, the evaporated wine vapor was ignited by the old monk's magic.
"Young friend, perhaps you should refrain from helping. We will handle this ourselves."
The old monk, suppressing the urge to kill, coldly instructed and then activated his conversion technique, forcefully converting the Li Huo Flying Locusts once more.
"Sigh~ Alright, we'll continue to spectate."
At the cave's ceiling, Yang Hong responded enthusiastically and used his magic to make the cave roof platform more comfortable.
Ye Yudong watched the Buddhist cultivators' actions in the cave and finally understood why Buddhism wasn't in a hurry to eliminate the Li Huo Flying Locusts.
They intended to convert the guardian spirit beasts!
However, they dared to convert such ominous creatures. Weren't they afraid of repercussions?
The other 109 people also realized this. Their faces were grim, but they dared not speak out of anger.
On the Taiyuan Continent, Buddhism was truly unrivaled. If they dared to voice any objection, they might meet their demise and soul annihilation the next moment.
"Boss, we're just going to watch?"
The middle-aged scholar from Chaoyang Sect, who was at the Nascent Soul stage, leaned close to Yang Hong's ear and asked in the smallest voice possible, clearly showing no defiance in the face of Buddhism.
"Yes~ we'll just sit here and watch the show.
If you find yourself with nothing to do, reinforce this platform. We won't fall when the big battle starts later."
"Uh~ I'll reinforce it.
But, will there really be a big battle? These Li Huo Flying Locusts are almost all converted."
"Heh heh~ the real trouble are those black monsters.
I sense a strong sense of ill omen from them."
"Is that so? I can't sense their cultivation."
"Are you an idiot? Can't you sense their cultivation because their cultivation far surpasses yours?"
Yang Hong glared at the middle-aged scholar, who retreated sheepishly.
While they were spectating, the Buddhist conversion was nearing its end.
Under the golden light, over a hundred thousand red Li Huo Flying Locusts all prostrated themselves on the ground, forming a gesture of clasped hands in prayer, bowing in supplication.
Creak~
Just as the Buddhist cultivators were reveling in their victory, the thousand or so black monsters surrounding the cave suddenly moved.
One black monster opened two bloody maws. With the aid of magic or innate abilities, its maws widened to three feet!
The surrounding air distorted, forming whirlwinds that sucked the kneeling Li Huo Flying Locusts into their mouths.
These monsters had actually waited for the Li Huo Flying Locusts to submit to Buddhism before making their move.
No!
These were mouths. One by one, the Li Huo Flying Locusts didn't even need to be chewed. They flew to the black monsters' mouths, shrunk, and were swallowed.
"Wretched beasts, you seek death!
Vajra's Fierce Gaze!"
The old monk's furious voice echoed. A thirty-foot-tall Vajra Dharma form materialized, and immeasurable golden light shot out across the sky, aimed at the black monsters.
However, amidst the clinking sounds within the golden light, the black monsters were completely unharmed. Black light even flickered on their bodies.
"Not good! Escape!"
Sensing the aura within the black light, Yang Hong quickly formed a hand seal, and using an earth遁 technique, he stepped on Ye Yudong and vanished from the cave platform.
He left behind a message that made everyone else's faces change drastically, and they too quickly employed escape techniques to flee the cave.
"Run! They're undergoing demonization! They are Earth Demons from the Upper Realm!"
Upon hearing Yang Hong's words, not only did his vanguard members' faces change, but even the Buddhist cultivators on the ground turned ashen.
The old monk glanced in the direction Yang Hong had disappeared, lost in thought. Then, he turned and bowed towards a corner of the cave, performing a Buddhist salutation. "I implore the Arhats to reveal themselves and subdue the demons!"
"A~mi~ta~bha~"
A grand Buddhist chant echoed, freezing the demonizing black monsters in place.
"My Buddha's compassion~ Believe in my Buddha, attain transcendence; Believe in my Buddha, attain eternal life; Believe in my Buddha..."
The peculiar chant, imbued with supreme majesty and the power of conversion, enveloped the black monsters.
However, the black monsters began to move slowly.
And once two monsters got close, they immediately transformed into black liquid and merged. The subsequent black liquid began to move faster, darting about. Not only did the black liquid continue to fuse, but it also devoured the Li Huo Flying Locusts in its path.
Roar~~
In just the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the black liquid finished fusing, and a colossal, hundred-zhang-long black Li Huo Flying Locust appeared before the Buddhist cultivators and Arhats.
"Not good! It's a fifth-tier Immortal Xuan Demon! Please, Lord Du Yuan Bodhisattva, subdue this demon!"
The Arhats who had just emerged to subdue the demon could no longer continue their chanting. Such a monstrous being was beyond their ability to conquer.
"Immovable King's Fire!"
A figure engulfed in golden flames appeared from the cave ceiling and, in the next instant, stood upon the back of the black Li Huo Flying Locust.
Golden flames instantly enveloped the Li Huo Flying Locust, causing it to scream in agony.
"Concentrate everyone!
This Li Huo Flying Locust is not the one predicted by the Buddha. There should be another red one that hasn't appeared yet."
Lord Du Yuan Bodhisattva's stern and ancient voice rang out from within the golden Buddhist flames, reminding the other Arhats.
"Yes~"
In unison, eighteen Arhats of various appearances revealed their true forms and swiftly formed the Eighteen Arhat Formation around Lord Du Yuan Bodhisattva. A colossal Buddha phantom almost filled the entire cave.
The thousand or so ninth-tier Buddhist cultivators who were originally converting the red Li Huo Flying Locusts were instantly absorbed by the Buddha phantom the moment it appeared and were positioned in various locations within the phantom, commencing loud recitations of scriptures.
Under the suppression of the Buddha phantom and the Immovable King's Fire, the black Li Huo Flying Locust rapidly began to shrink.
It seemed as though everything was developing in favor of Buddhism. However, Lord Du Yuan Bodhisattva's expression grew increasingly grave!