The Powerful Monk Shancai

"Pfft!"

The gleaming spear pierced into the abdomen of Wu Mengqiu. This False Core Stage expert, who had spent his life obsessed with vanity and had turned the Wu Family into the overlords of Lantian Town, let his eyelids droop. As the last trace of his life force ebbed away, the Dantian Fire of Li Dalong burned within his soul.

This also signaled the downfall of the Lantian Wu Family.

In this battle, the Li Family suffered no casualties. The villagers who had come from Zhien Village, having completed their first wave of attrition using magical artifacts and the spear formation, began their return journey.

The Li Family experts at the Foundation Establishment Realm and above cleaned up the battlefield, organized their equipment, and headed toward the center of the Silver Iron Forest.

"Good!"

Standing at home and staring at the large screen, Li Xiang remained fully immersed in the game. He slapped his thigh hard, his face filled with satisfaction.

The Li Family used to be timid and subservient, but now, the Li Family strikes with a heavy fist!

Compared to the two major families of Tailin Town, the Lantian Wu Family was superior in every way, yet what about now?

The battle ended in ten minutes!

But as the joy filled his heart.

Li Xiang's expression gradually turned grave.

While maneuvering the War Puppet toward the center of the Silver Iron Forest, he could already sense the powerful aura emanating from afar.

This proved the pressure coming from the battle between the Demon King and the Golden Core expert inside!

The Golden Core Realm is the true threshold for cultivators, which is why the False Core Stage exists. A single full-power strike from them can turn a thousand meters of land into dust!

The False Core is already extremely close to the Golden Core.

Yet, a False Core expert would likely not last more than a few moves against a Golden Core!

It is said that in the entire Taiqing County, excluding the two sects behind the scenes, the number of Golden Core experts can be counted on two hands.

Not long after.

Li Xiang had already maneuvered the War Puppet, along with the Li Family experts and numerous spirit beasts, to the center of the Silver Iron Forest.

The valley where Li Xiang and the others arrived had already been leveled, looking like a giant iron pot. The dense true energy made everyone afraid to approach; the high-level pressure alone was enough to diminish their combat effectiveness.

The Pig Demon King was dueling with Master Shancai. Both were floating in the air, creating an aura field around them!

[Warning: The spiritual power output ahead exceeds the machine's load capacity. Do not enter!]

As soon as they approached, the War Puppet issued a reminder.

Li Xiang naturally knew that the power of the Golden Core Realm was simply not something the War Puppet could contend with.

He frowned, watching the battlefield.

The true form of the Pig Demon King was the Mingtu Yinluo Boar, based on earth spiritual energy and dark energy. Giant spikes emerged everywhere in the valley, creating tremors as if the earth itself had come alive. Those earth spikes moved at his command, thrusting toward Master Shancai.

In particular, the earth spikes carried a highly corrosive aura, attempting to erode the protective Buddhist light surrounding Master Shancai.

Master Shancai possessed profound Buddhist dharma.

He held a golden Zen staff in his right hand, and the prayer beads from his neck had been transferred to his left hand. As he tapped the beads and chanted scriptures, a Golden Body Arhat, equal in size to the Pig Demon King, appeared behind him. This Arhat used its physical palms to easily shatter the earth-shaking demon spikes, and the spikes coated in black energy dissipated upon touching their nemesis.

Instead, giant palm prints appeared one after another on the ground!

Li Xiang could tell.

Neither of them was using their full strength; they were both probing each other with magical power, but it was clear that the Pig Demon King had already fallen into a disadvantage!

"Ancestor, should we go help now?"

Li Dalong asked toward the spirit tablet, trembling as he felt the aura of the battlefield.

"Wait a moment."

Li Xiang typed a command onto the avatar of the Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python.

A battle between mid-stage Golden Core experts was definitely not something ordinary Foundation Establishment experts could participate in; even being caught in the aftermath could lead to injury. However, Li Xiang was certain that with so many spirit beasts present, combined with the equivalent assistance of six False Core experts, they absolutely had the ability to defeat the monk Shancai.

But that would only be a victory. If the monk Shancai wanted to run, no one could stop him, and the Li Family would never have a peaceful day again!

Li Xiang waited. Half an hour had passed, and he was like a seasoned hunter.

Under his orders, the spirit beasts and the Li Family members beside him were all waiting anxiously, not daring to emit the slightest aura.

"Amitabha."

Master Shancai stood on a golden lotus in mid-air, the golden rings on his Zen staff clinking. After fighting for so long, he had suffered no injuries, though his aura was slightly weaker. He wore a compassionate smile, saying, "You wicked creature have harmed countless people, but the Buddha is merciful. I, a poor monk, see that your thousand years of cultivation were not easily gained. Why not follow me to Qingsong Temple to listen to Buddhist scriptures and wash away this evil?"

"Do not let the myriad living beings of this Silver Iron Forest suffer any more disasters."

This was the first time the monk Shancai had spoken after fighting for so long.

Now that he was preaching Buddhist dharma, it was simply because he was starting to have doubts in his heart. It was agreed that the seven great families would gather, and together they would surely kill the Pig Demon King. Yet, half an hour had passed, and there was no sign of reinforcements.

Although the Demon King was not his match, Shancai was unwilling to take the risk in a life-or-death struggle.

"Hmph!"

The only response Master Shancai received was a cold snort from the Pig Demon King.

Even though it was covered in wounds, it still possessed the bearing of a demon king.

With a flash of demonic arts, it knew it was no match for Master Shancai; if it dragged this out, it would be the one to suffer, so it unleashed its full power!

In an instant.

The valley shook, the earth quaked, and a sinister wind swept through. Massive stone pillars erupted from the ground within a hundred-meter radius of the Pig Demon King, surging toward Master Shancai with the corrosive power of the dark winds!

Its bristles took flight, soaring into the air.

A phantom of a demonic head formed within the thick, dark clouds above, stretching out a demonic hand to crush Master Shancai within its palm!

"Stubborn and unrepentant. Since the Buddha will not deliver you today, I shall cast you, this monster, into the eighteenth level of hell on behalf of the Buddha, never to be reincarnated!"

Seeing this, Master Shancai turned grave.

He knew this was the Pig Demon King's finishing move; if he did not go all out, his life would be forfeit today!

He tossed his prayer beads into the air. The eighteen beads shone brilliantly, rising in a ring that dispersed the dark clouds above—it was clearly an extraordinary spiritual artifact.

"Qingsong Buddhist Dharma, Ageless Golden Pine, Merciful Vajra, appear!"

Following Master Shancai's roar.

The monk's robe he wore was also a spiritual artifact; its golden trim transformed into golden vines that spread toward the sky. As they advanced, these vines intertwined at a speed visible to the naked eye, forming a golden-clad Golden Body Arhat!

Master Shancai's Zen staff floated up, growing in size until it landed in the hands of the Golden Body Arhat.

The entire valley echoed with the roar of the Arhat and the clanging of the rings on the Zen staff.

From nowhere, the deep, resonant toll of a bronze bell rang out.

Master Shancai, renowned throughout Taiqing County, was truly extraordinary!

Master Shancai had played all his trump cards.

He could already see this ungrateful Pig Demon King going to meet the Buddha!

But just then.

His expression shifted.

"Now!"

A sharp shout rang out from the distance.

Master Shancai saw dozens of demonic beasts charging recklessly into the battlefield, unleashing a rain of demonic arts toward him from afar!

He even saw...

"It's the Li Family from the seven great clans, that Purple Thunder Heavenly Sun Python!"

"Bastards!"

Master Shancai was furious. He realized in an instant that he had intended to capture a demon king as a mount or obtain materials for crafting spiritual artifacts, but he had inadvertently stumbled into a trap he never should have touched!

Yet he understood that it was useless to say anything now.

Even with his profound Buddhist Dharma, he could not withstand the combined force of these suicidal spirit beasts and the Pig Demon King.

"Flee!"

Master Shancai swept his Golden Body Arhat forward to parry the incoming attacks, preparing to escape.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes.

A massive puppet, with tail flames erupting from its feet and back, was charging at him with incredible speed. The puppet carried no weapons, only...

A silver coffin?

[Mech engine consumption has reached 100%... 120%, chassis damage imminent!]

[Warning! You have entered the attack range of a Golden Core Stage expert!]

[Target is launching an attack against you. Detection: please evade immediately, spiritual energy load is far exceeding limits...]

"Screw the limits! Do it!"

Operating the War Puppet, feeling the oppressive spiritual energy in the air and the five-meter-wide palm print swiped by the Golden Body Arhat behind Master Shancai, Li Xiang remained perfectly calm!

He jerked the controls, turning sharply!

The War Puppet barely dodged the palm strike, but the shockwave still shattered the puppet's right arm and right leg.

The War Puppet could even see the flesh and blood on the chassis where a third of it had been torn away!

[Chassis severely damaged, please leave the battlefield immediately for automatic repair!]

Li Xiang turned a deaf ear.

He knew clearly that if this fat monk didn't die, the Li Family's future would be grim!

Compared to the lives of the Li Family members, this priceless War Puppet was worth nothing!

Crossing past the palm print, he listened to the roar behind him.

Monk Shancai unleashed another palm print toward him.

But this time.

Li Xiang did not dodge.

"It's up to you!"

Li Xiang held the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin, and he could even feel the constant trembling of the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin as it encountered the Buddhist power!

Inside the screen interface.

[The artifact spirit of the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin has encountered Buddhist power it loathes!]

From the moment he arrived on the battlefield, Li Xiang had already seen the notification on the game interface.

Moreover, he had long since intended to use the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin as his trump card.

Otherwise, Li Dalong would never have brought this treasure out!

"The distance is enough!"

Seeing that the strength of the War Puppet was already sufficient to hurl the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin at Monk Shancai, Li Xiang did not hesitate for a single moment.

He threw the Death-Stilling Heavenly Coffin over!

"What... what is this thing?!!"

Monk Shancai revealed a look of terror that he hadn't even shown when facing the full force of the Pig Demon King.

That silver coffin easily smashed through the palm print unleashed by his Vajra Arhat!

Even...

As it approached the Vajra Arhat behind him, the Vajra Zen Staff couldn't even budge the silver coffin. The silver coffin deflected the Zen Staff, and under his desperate gaze, it slowly opened its lid, revealing a dark space that swallowed the entire Vajra Arhat into the coffin.

It was just like an ancient beast with endless greed!

At this moment, even he, who was using the Arhat Golden Body, was implicated.

The silver coffin was unleashing its fury upon him, and the pressure of the top-grade spiritual treasure made him unable to even remain airborne!

And at the same time.

The Pig Demon King, those dozens of spirit beasts, and the techniques and martial arts of all the Li Family members poured down upon him!