Chapter 498
In terms of individual qualities, the Monster Race is superior. Below the three Divine General Level experts, there are eight other experts who are equivalent to the top masters in the Heavenly Martial Alliance. However, the Heavenly Martial Alliance has more people and has the advantage of terrain. The Buddhist Power that fills the air can suppress the Monster Race's Cultivation Body. Unless they reach the Divine General Level, they will be affected to some extent.
Furthermore, the Monster Race are accustomed to fighting alone, rarely cooperating with each other. In fact, in the chaos of the battlefield, they sometimes hinder and interfere with each other. In contrast, although the experts of the Heavenly Martial Alliance do not understand military formations and tactics, cooperating between two or three people in a small area is not difficult for them.
The situation reached a stalemate, with the Heavenly Martial Alliance holding a slight advantage, but the advantage was too small to be apparent in the short term.
In the midst of the chaotic battle, a martial monk infiltrated the fray. Since there were also many non- Glazed Temple Buddhist School disciples on the Heavenly Martial Alliance side, no one noticed anything amiss. He fought and dodged, secretly approaching the dangerous area where the three Monster Race generals were fighting. He stopped at the edge of the residual force's impact and then used a Secret Voice Transmission method to inform the three Monster Race generals of crucial information.
"What! The Buddha-Slaying Monk was a spy!"
The Zhu Mei paled at this. She remembered that the Buddha-Slaying Monk was on the same side as the Spirit King, and now that she thought about it, it was clearly a scheme.
"This kid is definitely suspicious. I told you long ago that Human Race can't be trusted, but you just wouldn't believe me!" Pan said Vicious Qi.
Zhu Mei acted decisively, saying, "Arguing about this now is pointless. The target of the Buddha-Slaying Monk is definitely the Spirit King, and we must not let him succeed! You hold off these annoying fellows for me, I need to hurry and warn the Spirit King!"
Although Pan E felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking "Serves you right, who told you not to listen to me?", he at least understood the bigger picture. The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King was the spiritual leader of the Monster Race army. If something happened to him, the expedition would undoubtedly fail, no matter how great the advantage they had gained before.
Moreover, he didn't want the Buddha-Slaying Monk to succeed in his evil scheme. So he gripped the spiked club tightly, spun around, stepped forward with his right leg and then his left foot, and swung the spiked club with great force. The chaotic energy flowed into a whirlwind-like roar, and the incomparably powerful force spread in all directions with the swing of the weapon. It not only forced the domineering Dai Wen to stop, but also trapped Shen Wumian and the others.
Zhu Mei endured Si Shuiyun's slash and forcefully broke through the encirclement, crossing the defense line and rushing towards the center of Glazed Temple.
Upon seeing the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King at the North Gate and behind the city wall, the warrior monks did not fight to the death. Instead, they decisively turned and retreated, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye.
Si Ming asked doubtfully, "Abandoning defense, is it out of fear of the Spirit King's majesty? Perhaps this trip can strike at the heart of the Yellow Dragon and annihilate the core of the Glazed Temple in one fell swoop?"
The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King said, "No, in their eyes I can see a determination to die for their cause. This group is definitely not cowardly. They crumble at the first touch and offer no resistance. It must be a tactic of luring the enemy deep into our territory."
After a moment's thought, he said, "Order the troops to halt their advance and defend their positions. Do not advance rashly. Wait until the other routes have achieved some success before our army advances together."
Si Ming also believed that this was a tactic arranged by Si Jingyu to lure the enemy deep into his territory. After all, he often used the strategy of feigning weakness in battle. However, he did not expect that the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King would be so cautious. Despite having an overwhelming advantage in strength, he adopted a conservative approach that would be ridiculed, preferring to watch the opportunity slip away rather than take any risks.
Si Ming was helpless in this situation; he couldn't very well advise the other party to take the risk, so he could only wait patiently by his side.
Before long, the sounds of fierce fighting came from the other three directions of Glazed Temple. Various kinds of Primal Qi fluctuated violently, causing strange phenomena in the sky and clouds to change color from time to time. The collision of forces was like a cannon fire, with booming sounds. Buildings were destroyed and collapsed from time to time, which showed how fierce the battle was.
However, after a long while, no friendly forces broke through the defenses. All the battles were blocked at the city walls and could not be entered. Even the Beast King Anye was blocked, and the roars of beasts could be heard from the south from time to time.
The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King opened the vertical eye between his brows, looked up at the sky, and his divine light shot into the sky. Calamity clouds gathered and transformed into a huge evil eye, overlooking the earth and taking in the battle situation everywhere. Only the very center of the Glazed Temple was blocked by a layer of golden Buddhist array, making it difficult to see the truth.
"Interesting! My thoughts have been anticipated by the commander of the Glazed Temple. They withdrew all their forces from the north and instead focused on the other three directions to block the offensive with all their might. What courage!" The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King closed his vertical eye and couldn't help but praise, "I thought it was a trap to lure the enemy in, but it turned out to be an empty city ploy. This is completely different from the Glazed Temple's previous strategic style!"
Si Ming said indignantly, "It seems there are still Buddhist School spies within our army, otherwise these foolish Buddhists wouldn't know our army's arrangements so well."
"It's impossible to completely eliminate internal spies, and Glazed Temple won't put all its eggs in one basket with Great Snake. Just as we have other internal spies besides Fanan, the intelligence coming from them is completely different from the actual battle situation. Therefore, we can infer that the person in charge of Glazed Temple has changed."
By working backward from the result to the cause, the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King quickly guessed the truth.
Si Ming asked, "What's our next move? Should we launch attacks from the other three directions, defeat them one by one, and then regroup our forces?"
From a conservative perspective, this is undoubtedly the safest approach. With the strength of the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King, he is a decisive force wherever he goes, enough to crush the defending army, and then he can grow stronger like a snowball.
"No, if the enemy forces our army to disperse its forces, then regrouping should indeed be the primary task. However, it was our army that actively dispersed its forces in the first place, with the aim of inducing the enemy to split their forces. If we change our strategy because of this, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?" The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King rejected the idea outright.
Si Ming immediately understood that the other side was wary of Glazed Temple using the Ten Buddhas Nirvana Formation to perish together with the enemy. If his suggestion was adopted, the Monster Race would gather their forces while the Buddhist School did the same. Just like when they breached the city walls before, the enemy retreated and fled as soon as they saw the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King appear. It would be difficult for them to stop him, since this was Glazed Temple's territory. The Spirit King could use his Evil Eye to oversee the entire situation, Glazed Temple naturally had corresponding observation methods to lock onto his movement route.
The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King ordered his subordinates to attack the Glazed Temple from four directions in order to disperse the Glazed Temple's high-level combat power and prevent them from gathering enough experts to form the Ten Buddhas Nirvana Formation. Naturally, he refused to change his mind at this moment.
"Very well, since they have so sincerely invited us, we cannot simply refuse their kindness. I, the king, would like to see just how lavish the feast they have prepared for me is."
Si Ming chimed in, "Logically speaking, they shouldn't have any more combat power to spare. Holding off attacks from three sides is already their limit. Perhaps what lies in the center is just an empty city ruse."
"If we follow common sense, they can't even withstand a three-pronged attack, so they must have some hidden trump cards. However, there's no need to worry too much. Ultimately, force is the foundation of everything. No matter what kind of plan they have, it must be implemented with force in the end, otherwise it's just a castle in the air. I'd like to know who they've arranged to stop me."
The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King was fearless and strode forward. He encountered no enemies along the way and moved unimpeded until he reached the central place that was hidden by the Buddhist formation.
"Hmph, now tear off your masks and see what kind of hypocritical faces are hidden beneath."
With a raised hand, he struck out with immense force that shook the heavens, shattering the Buddhist formation. After the golden light dissipated, three elderly monks with white hair appeared on the plaza below, sitting cross-legged in a triangular formation.
"Namo Glazed Medicine Buddha, Spirit King, it's been a long time," one of the old monks said.
The Purple-Pupiled Spirit King revealed a surprised yet composed expression. "Oh, so it's you three remnants of the Spirit generation. I didn't expect you to still be alive! But judging from your appearance, you're practically half-buried in the ground. Instead of retiring and enjoying your old age, you've come to seek death with me. What, you don't actually think you can defeat me with just a Vajra Demon Subjugation Circle, do you?"
Seeing that the Spirit King was about to make a move, Si Ming hurriedly said, "Spirit King, please don't use the Depleting Divine Light. Once their flesh and blood are completely destroyed, where will I go to complete the Thousand Buddha Blood Sacrifice?"
"Don't worry, I will never go back on my promise. However, it's rare to meet an old friend, so it's not appropriate for me to ask you to help. How about this, if you're not worried that I'll take the treasure away, why don't you lend me the Glazed Precept-Breaking Saber, and I'll complete the remaining two spots for you."
"Of course I have no doubt about the Spirit King, take it!"
Si Ming casually tossed the Glazed Precept-Breaking Saber to the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King.
The 395th Chapter: The Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa Formation
At the south gate of Glazed Temple, the Beast King Anye ventured in alone.
"Rumor has it that Glazed Temple possesses two unparalleled martial arts techniques: the 'Chan Sun Martial Scripture' and the 'Shi Moon Dharma Scripture.' I must witness them firsthand today!"
He raised his palm and urged the energy out like a stampede of beasts. The chaotic yet immense force blasted the city gate open, sending bricks and tiles flying everywhere. But no one could be seen behind the city gate.
"The Empty City Stratagem? What a boring trick. Do you think I'm easily scared?"
In the same situation, the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King might have hesitated for a moment, waiting to assess the surroundings before taking action. But the Beast King Anye didn't care about that and rushed inside. However, the moment he stepped into the city, four thick swords rose from the ground, emitting dense Sword Qi that intertwined into a net, forming a sword array that trapped him within.
"A familiar sword formation, a repulsive aura, could it be...?"
The Beast King frowned, just as a sharp Sword Qi, meant to slay evil and vanquish wickedness, came slashing towards him. He quickly gathered his Power of Anomalies on the surface of his fist, transforming it into a protective gauntlet, and blocked the attack with a single blow.