"As an eminent monk and a young woman, how could I hide behind my foolish disciple? Of course I had to personally use the Dharma to enlighten them.
Like this—Hah!"
Sanzang thrust out her palm, and the shockwave it unleashed swept up the yellow sand, carving a deep trench through the ground.
"But Master Sanzang—you're a Caster, aren't you?"
From Sanzang's casual palm strike, Li Ye could see her astonishing strength. She reinforced her muscles with mana, gaining overwhelming power in the process.
"Of course Casters have to fight in close combat! Only this can demonstrate the profound depths of the Dharma!"
Sanzang spoke with ringing conviction, as though she were stating some ultimate truth.
Li Ye nodded, deeply convinced. "Master Sanzang's martial arts really are incredible. Did your disciples teach you?"
"Yes and no. I did learn some during my training at the temple, but Wukong and the others taught me more."
"Master Sanzang, could I borrow that for a look?"
After their conversation, Li Ye had grown even more curious about Sanzang's Nine-Ringed Vajra Staff and could not resist trying it himself.
Hearing this, Sanzang readily handed the Nine-Ringed Vajra Staff to Li Ye. "Be careful!"
The moment he received it, Li Ye felt his body sink slightly into the yellow sand.
"Master Sanzang, how did you transform this into the Golden Cudgel or the Nine-Toothed Rake?"
Li Ye tried swinging the Nine-Ringed Vajra Staff. Other than its jingling rings, it did not seem particularly special.
It felt like nothing more than a slightly heavier staff.
"Wukong and the others' weapons? Let me think!"
Seemingly understanding what Li Ye wanted to see, Sanzang took back the Nine-Ringed Vajra Staff, gave it a casual shake, and handed it to him again.
What kind of ability is this now?
Li Ye's brow twitched.
When the Nine-Ringed Vajra Staff in Li Ye's hand transformed into a black iron rod—the Ruyi Jingu Bang—he immediately felt an immense weight appear in his grasp.
His feet sank directly into the yellow sand!
Heavy—
That was Li Ye's first impression of the Ruyi Jingu Bang. He then tried to swing it, but even the slightest motion brought crushing pressure from its tremendous mass, nearly making it fly from his hand.
He had no choice but to reinforce his muscles with mana before he could wield it properly.
Yet strangely enough, the Ruyi Jingu Bang felt familiar to Li Ye.
It was as if he had seen a similar Noble Phantasm somewhere before.
That was unbelievable. Li Ye had only come into contact with the supernatural a few days ago, and he had encountered very few Heroic Spirits. How could he possibly have seen a similar Noble Phantasm?
Yet Li Ye was certain that not long ago, he had observed the appearance and release of a similar Noble Phantasm from very close by—
Soon, the thought he had been afraid to approach finally surfaced in Li Ye's mind.
Rhongomyniad.
The holy spear, one of King Arthur's armaments. It was the storm anchor that bound the stars, and legend said its true form was a tower connecting the surface and reverse sides of the world.
Meanwhile, the Ruyi Jingu Bang in Li Ye's hand was Divine Iron that anchored the Celestial River. Like Rhongomyniad, it had not originally been a weapon, but an ambiguous existence given form by those who came later—
Rhongomyniad had been burdened with the Thirteen Seals by the Round Table, barely maintaining the form of a Noble Phantasm. The Ruyi Jingu Bang, meanwhile, had been personally pulled free by Sun Wukong and forcibly used as a weapon.
In a sense, the Ruyi Jingu Bang that anchored the Celestial River was also an anchor that sustained the world—
Oh, heavens.
So the Ruyi Jingu Bang was a top-tier Noble Phantasm comparable to the holy spear?
If Li Ye's intuition was correct and his deduction held true, then the true Ruyi Jingu Bang was an ultimate Noble Phantasm on the same level as the holy spear Rhongomyniad.
Even the Golden Cudgel that Sanzang could summon after manifesting was no trivial matter!
It possessed at least most of the Golden Cudgel's power!
Once Li Ye realized the weight of the Golden Cudgel in his hand, a thought quietly arose in his heart.
Can I use it?
It was a bold and arrogant thought. Sun Wukong, wielder of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, was undoubtedly a high-ranking existence who had become a deity. How could Li Ye possibly use an armament held by someone like that?
Whether in status or method of use, Li Ye met none of the requirements.
Yet as if possessed, Li Ye raised the Golden Cudgel and slammed it down!
The mana belonging to the Holy Grail poured out from within him. Before even an instant had passed, the mana output Li Ye could sense had already exceeded his own several times over!
The effect of that strike was immediately obvious. Centered on Li Ye, the space within a ten-meter radius was frozen.
Yes, frozen.
The sandstorm that should have been howling through the sky and the gale that should have been roaring both silently stopped. Every grain of sand scattered through the air became clearly visible.
Li Ye could clearly see every grain of sand, and he could clearly feel the motionless world.
Only the world within ten meters had fallen into stillness.
So this is the Ruyi Jingu Bang that anchors the Celestial River—
Anchoring—
Like the holy spear, it was a Noble Phantasm that sustained the world.
The Lion King, assimilated with the holy spear, had even built a world of towers with the holy spear as its foundation. The Ruyi Jingu Bang could likewise accomplish the same great feat.
Li Ye did not stop moving. He slowly swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang, as though even that slight movement had exhausted most of his strength.
The influx of mana never ceased. Relying on the endless mana provided by the Holy Grail, Li Ye used the Ruyi Jingu Bang once more.
At the end of the endlessly extending Ruyi Jingu Bang—
Space cracked.
Within the fissure, he could glimpse the stars.
If it could anchor the river of heaven, then surely it could also split the firmament.
The first attack fixed space and sealed the enemy's movements. The second attack truly pierced the enemy, unable to move.
Crack.
It was like a black hole appearing on the ground. Both color and sound vanished, leaving only nothingness spreading outward.
The lingering fragrance of myth.
Twisted nothingness tore apart and devoured everything.
Both the sandstorm and the yellow sand continuously vanished into that void.
*—!*
Almost immediately, Li Ye cut off the mana output. As the Golden Cudgel left his hand, every anomaly instantly disappeared, as though nothing had ever happened.
But Li Ye knew exactly what had occurred in that instant.
Several meters away, a bottomless pit had appeared before him.
Less than a few breaths of shattered space had caused such destruction. Just how powerful was the true Golden Cudgel?
"Oh! Oh! You can use Wukong's authority too? What a touching sight. Wukong used to do the same thing whenever he wanted to spar with me—freeze space, then secretly knock me on the head."
Seeing that Li Ye could actually use the Golden Cudgel, Sanzang exclaimed with a nostalgic expression.
That wasn't even a Noble Phantasm release, just an ordinary application—
Drenched in sweat, Li Ye swallowed. It was hard to imagine just how intense Sanzang's daily life must have been.
Golden Cudgel, anchoring—
Li Ye did not linger over the Golden Cudgel's power. After returning it to Sanzang, he considered the new thought that had emerged in his mind.
Although Li Ye was curious why he could use part of the Golden Cudgel's authority when he clearly should not possess such qualifications, a more important thought occupied his mind.
"Master Sanzang! Are you still taking disciples?"