The World Destroys Consciousness (continued)

Zheng Jingyuan said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. If we can gather intelligence, we will be able to devise a way to counter them next time we face them."

"That would require forcing them to reveal their true strength. Needless to say, as a martial artist, I've never done anything as shameful as turning and running away before even seeing the enemy. If I were to desert now, I'd despise myself for the rest of my life," Si Ming stood up and waved his hand. "No need to say more, the enemy is here!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dense Black Tide, like a rain of arrows, surged forth, its power overwhelming. Just as everyone was about to unleash their ultimate attacks to defend themselves, suddenly, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda flashed with golden light, countless swastikas scattered across the sky, and chanting of Sanskrit rang out. Eight lotus flowers rapidly bloomed from the center of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, each bearing a divine being standing at its center: a Heavenly King, a Dragon King, a Yaksha, a Gandharva, Asura, a Garuda, seven Kinnaras, and a Mahoragas—the very Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils Legions of Devas and Asuras!

As soon as the Eight Legions appeared, their energy condensed into a single Mount Sumeru. The Black Tide collided with it, rippling out circles of golden waves. The remaining force roared like a tornado, and the sky darkened as if the end of the world had arrived.

The Black Tide crashed repeatedly, but it could not Demon-Suppressing Pagoda or break through the protective barrier formed by the Eight Legions of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.

Si Ming let out a breath. "It seems my guess was right. Although I don't know who left the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, it can indeed resist the Kalpa of Destruction."

Everyone looked shaken, but seeing this, they gradually relaxed, though they remained vigilant and alert.

Wan Ziqiu asked, "Don't you feel that the Buddha's light seems to have dimmed?"

Zheng Jingyuan said, "I have a similar feeling; it shouldn't be your imagination."

Everyone immediately realized a problem: with the thousand monks unconscious, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was not receiving any further replenishment of its Primal Qi. If the stalemate continued, it would eventually run out of energy.

"Let this humble monk do it. Though I cannot compare to the Alliance Leader's brilliance, I can still offer my humble contribution."

Abbot Fahong stepped forward, grasped the chain, and poured his essence, energy, and spirit into it. His Primal Qi pillar was about the size of a fist, which was far smaller than Si Ming's, but still much larger than the chopsticks of an ordinary martial monk.

After the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was replenished with Primal Qi, it regained its previous brightness. Despite the onslaught of the Black Tide, it remained unmoved, its stability as solid as a rock. It could even launch a counterattack. Occasionally, the Eight Legions of the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils would shoot out a beam of light, and wherever it passed, the blackness that had stained the world would melt away like snow.

Although the vacant positions will soon be filled by the endless Black Tide, the ability to counterattack still excites everyone. From waiting to die, to having a glimmer of hope for self-rescue, to defending oneself against the offensive, and finally to having the remaining strength to counterattack the opponent, any martial artist can understand what these four State of Mind mean. It can be said that each step can bring people great confidence and signify a huge change in attitude towards the enemy.

"Huh?"

Fahong suddenly let out a surprised exclamation. Everyone thought something had happened to him and quickly looked closely, only to see that he was gradually reducing the Primal Qi he was transmitting, shrinking it to half its original size.

"The abbot is Primal Qi; I shall take over."

Although Zheng Jingyuan felt that Fahong's Primal Qi was being depleted too quickly, it was still best to be cautious and take precautions for the time being.

However, Fahong shook his head and said, "It's not that we're lacking in Primal Qi, but rather that we don't need to go all out. This level is already sufficient, at least that's the message the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda has given us."

Everyone looked up and saw that the brightness emitted by the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda had not diminished at all, and the Eight Legions of the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils were still firmly resisting the impact of the Black Tide.

Si Jingyu said, "It seems that the Primal Qi required to maintain the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda is far less than the Primal Qi required to reactivate it. However, this is to be expected, as there is a difference between opening up a new path and retracing an existing one."

Yu Shuying also said, "When the Black Tide struck the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, the former consumed far more Primal Qi than the latter. It seems that the latter does indeed have a restraining effect on the former, so it does not need to consume too much Primal Qi to resist the erosion."

Then he asked Fahong, "May I ask how long the abbot can maintain this level of Primal Qi transmission?"

"About..." Fahong closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, "About half an hour."

Wan Ziqiu clenched his fist and said, "That's enough. With so many people here, we can all take turns going. I want to see whether we collapse first or they are purified by the Buddha's light of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda."

Faji said, "This humble monk can return to Glazed Temple to gather all my fellow disciples and ensure that the Kalpa of Destruction has no opportunity to take advantage of us."

With the protection of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, even Quasi-Grandmaster can withstand the pressure of the Black Tide and avoid falling into a coma. Although the cultivation level of Quasi-Grandmaster is definitely not as high as that of the veteran Grandmaster Fahong, they can simply increase their numbers.

With a million disciples at Glazed Temple, there are very few Grandmaster- level experts who break through due to bottlenecks, but there are a large number of Quasi-Grandmaster, so there is no need to worry about manpower.

Everyone realized this, and the heavy weight on their hearts was lifted, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief. But soon, that weight was lifted again.

"A futile resistance, what's the point?"

A powerful voice echoed from the Black Tide, reverberating across the vast expanse of heaven and earth. The crowd tried to pinpoint the source of the sound, but could not find it.

"He even has a chubby voice; looks like a big shot."

Si Ming teased, then provocatively said, "So the mastermind behind this is finally willing to step into the open? Since you've already spoken, why bother with all the secrecy? Wouldn't it be better to just show yourself openly?"

"I have not concealed myself; I have been right before you from beginning to end. It is only because your level of consciousness and perception is insufficient to perceive a higher-dimensional being—"

The voices in the Black Tide were faint and indistinct, indistinguishable as male or female, old or young, and devoid of any emotion, as if artificial intelligence were reading in a monotone.

"Oh, a higher-dimensional being, that's quite a rare find. Won't it come out and strike a pose, make an appearance?"

Si Ming wore a playful grin, but inwardly he was cursing. Was there no logic to this? The level difference was too great! How could a lower-dimensional being possibly fight a higher-dimensional one?

He didn't think the other party was deliberately lying to inflate their own value, which only made him more troubled. In any case, he couldn't imagine how a group of two-dimensional beings could defeat a three-dimensional being.

A point projected onto a plane could be a piece of chalk, an antenna, a long spear, or even a Golden Cudgel.

Si Jingyu questioned, "If you really have such great abilities, how could you be blocked by a mere tower in a lower-dimensional plane?"

"Is it really just a tower?" the other person countered.

Ying Zhou scoffed, "If it's not a tower, is it some kind of pile of dung?"

"You see it as a tower, but is your perception its entirety?"

Si Ming was startled and turned to ask Ying Zhou, "What shape is the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda you saw? How many stories does it have?"

Ying Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then asked in confusion, "A hexagon, with thirty-six layers in total. Even a primary school student could count those layers."

Xia Guanxue, standing beside her, trembled, a look of fear on her face. She said, slowly and deliberately, "In my eyes, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda has forty-nine floors."

"Wait a minute, isn't it supposed to be a quadrilateral, with a total of sixty-four floors?"

"That can't be right, this Demon-Suppressing Pagoda is clearly cone-shaped, so where did the edge come from?"

The crowd discussed amongst themselves, each describing what the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda looked like in their own eyes. They were shocked to find that almost everyone saw something different, which in turn gave rise to a strange sense of fear.

That is the fear of the unknown. Even when something is right in front of you, you cannot perceive it correctly. What you see, hear, touch, and smell may not be the truth, or rather, it may not be the whole truth.