Seeking a Way Out of a Deadlock

As Zhiqiu Yiye's aura rapidly weakened, Yan Chixia in front of him regained some color in his face and even managed to grip the Xuan-Yuan Sword tightly once more!

Ignoring the black blood still dripping from the wound, the huge "Buddha statue" now showed a hint of surprise and uncertainty on its face.

"So they have such methods? --- Well, it truly is my destiny, and I can no longer afford to be careless."

Sensing the danger, it opened its mouth and spat out a long banner from its belly. With a single flick of its wrist, the banner was suspended atop the golden Buddha!

As everyone looked on, they couldn't tell what kind of cloth the massive, dark banner was made of. Its dark color was accompanied by a faint glow, and long trails of smoke lingered. As the banner fluttered in the wind, it seemed as if countless mad and twisted figures were appearing and disappearing, resembling humans, beasts, ghosts, and demons, all sorts of strange and bizarre things.

The upper and lower parts of the statue are surrounded by dark golden Buddhist light and chanting. With the slightest movement, ripples of light appear, and in an instant, the tall golden statue is enveloped like a water curtain!

Looking out, in the blink of an eye, shadowy figures rose up from the deep shimmering waves. There were at least tens of thousands of fierce ghosts and spirits constantly emerging from between the banners. All the spirits howled, screamed wildly, and chanted scriptures incessantly. The golden statue was submerged in it, as if it were in another world!

A piece of... the Underworld?

Even though it seized 30% of the remaining dragon energy of the Great Zhou, devoured the Yin Soul of emperors from past dynasties, and fed on the current emperor and his vassal states, its foundation was still insufficient, and it ultimately failed to transform into the Eight Dragons and completely shed its demonic form.

"Having no other choice, I extracted the souls of many more living beings to forge this World-Crossing Human Emperor Banner for saving humanity, originally intended for my future entry into the Underworld— "

"Unfortunately, despite my diligent study of Buddhism and profound understanding of its true principles, my supernatural powers are ultimately no match for the will of Heaven."

"If this sword had not appeared today, you would all be suffering from scabies and epilepsy, and would not have needed such a magical treasure."

Alas, alas----"

With a hint of regret, the implication was that this old monster's scheme was no longer concealed at all.

Having witnessed the invincible sharpness of this ancient sword, and knowing that even its painstakingly cultivated evil "golden body" could not withstand One Slash power of Yan Chixia's Xuan-Yuan Sword, it naturally did not want to risk its life.

All that is needed is to use this "Human Emperor Banner" to slightly deplete its power and continuously obstruct the flow of energy until the celestial phenomena are overcome and the calamity subsides.

"Human Emperor Banner? Bah! I think it's the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner!"

After clearly seeing the myriad ghosts chanting scriptures beneath the billowing black smoke, sometimes appearing to be devoutly prostrating themselves and chanting sutras with great intensity, and sometimes struggling in agony and resentment, tearing at each other, they were actually in a daze, no longer possessing any selves. From this, they continuously condensed streaks of dark golden Buddhist light, merging into the various changes of the "golden body" inside.

Upon hearing this, even some of the surviving users in the distance couldn't help but start cursing!

Yan Chixia was so enraged that he gritted his teeth, which aggravated the wounds on his face, making him look extremely ferocious.

"I, Yan, do not believe that your ghost banner can withstand this sword strike!"

As his body trembled, the golden light between the longsword in his hand surged once more like a tide, and that incomparably sharp aura also gathered again!

"Do not say I have not reminded you that this banner contains the remaining souls of the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, embodying the current emperor's legitimacy and the dragon energy of the state. Even if you were to damage it, or even contend with it, you would still bear some of the Humanity consequences. For you cultivators, this is of paramount importance—"

The "Buddha statue" spoke in a sinister tone, offering well-intentioned advice.

"I urge you to carefully consider the gains and losses involved, and not to act impulsively and easily ruin your life's achievements."

Every sound is well-intentioned, yet every sound is a deadly chant!

However, with the Xuan-Yuan Sword in front of them, its sword energy whistled and overflowed, failing to harm Yan Chixia and the others.

But as the saying goes, "If a mop is stained with history, Lü Bu will be reborn." If what he said is true, then the situation facing them now is undoubtedly a blatant conspiracy!

"Well, although there's some concealment, what this old demon said isn't entirely wrong. It has already devoured all the emperors and generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so this dynasty exists in name only. Only within this banner is there still a remnant of its destiny. Those who rashly attack it will naturally bear the consequences, both in life and after death."

"Not to mention that with the rebirth of the cycle of reincarnation and the re-establishment of cause and effect—severing the ties of karma from a single moment's remnant is no easy task."

"If it were a commoner or a rogue, who seized the opportunity to establish a new dynasty and gained the protection of another dragon's aura, thus shifting the consequences, such actions would be acceptable for the time being. However, for cultivators, such karma should be avoided at all costs. If they were to actively get involved, they would be bearing the consequences of many people for the sake of one person's cause, which would be truly troublesome."

It seemed that they finally couldn't bear to watch any longer.

The white-haired man casually grabbed the Golden Alms Bowl from the top, gestured for someone beside him to help Zhiqiu Yiye, and then gave a few brief explanations.

Along with the group of people behind him, who were completely bewildered, they stared in horror at the Golden Alms Bowl in his hand that suddenly lost its luster and looked like an ordinary object, and followed him forward tremblingly.

The other party casually tossed the alms bowl back to the White Cloud Monk.

"Dynastic changes are a natural occurrence in Humanity affairs, and demonic cultivators who get involved will inevitably bear some responsibility."

"This Xuan-Yuan Sword is involved in more than one cause and effect, and has a subtle relationship with Humanity; therefore, using it is not so easy."

The white-haired man glanced at Yan Chixia, who was using a fire pearl and had a strange green leaf of unknown origin stuck between his flesh and blood, trying his best to seize the opportunity to heal his wounds, and shook his head.

"He who bears the nation's disgrace is the master of the state; he who bears the nation's misfortune is the king of the world."

"Although that sword of Humanity has not yet recognized a master, it would be best if you, Swordsman Yan, did not force it any further."

"Even if you can withstand the physical wounds, you've already suffered damage to your soul from that sword energy. At most, you'll unleash one or two more sword strikes, and you'll likely perish, all your life's hard work turning to dust."

"Moreover, the entanglements surrounding that Emperor's Banner are not something you outsiders should bear the consequences of."

"Humanity matters should, in essence, be determined through struggle and debate among Humanity."

After retrieving the Golden Alms Bowl, the White Cloud Monk, holding his staff, subtly blocked Yan Chixia's path. Only after hearing these words did he speak, "Esteemed benefactor, what can you teach us?"

I dare not presume to offer my guidance.

"However, if we were to delve into the details, this centipede intends to abandon its true form and use Buddhist teachings to practice heresy. Its fundamental cultivation is likely all contained within this false Buddhist Dharma body. Although it cannot be described as extremely profound, it is not an ordinary being either."

"Without this divine sword, even during the time when the Heavenly Hound Devouring the Moon, you would likely be no match for its already taking shape demonic golden form. In the end, only by risking your lives and fighting with the sword can you have a slim chance of victory."

Without turning his head, the white-haired man pointed to the group of "big shots" behind him.

"The problem is, there is clearly a group of Otherworlder, half existing within cause and effect and half detached from fate," who are the most suitable candidates to be sacrificed—cough cough, to wield the sword. Why should you force yourselves to do it?"

Upon hearing this, while others remained silent, Yan Chixia, despite her fatigue and pain, gave him a strange look.

"At this moment, is this fellow Daoist joking?"

"These shallow-level superhumans? Do they even have the ability to wield the Xuanyuan Divine Sword? Wouldn't they just be throwing their lives away?"

This "guest," hidden among the crowd, had not revealed his identity until now, which posed a certain threat.

However, the other party did not take the opportunity to harm Zhiqiu Yiye, and even returned the old monk's alms bowl. Therefore, it seems that they are not a person with ill intentions.

Under the current circumstances, Yan Chixia dared not be too careless.

Upon hearing this, the white-haired man merely smiled slightly. "Whether one's cultivation level is high or low is perhaps not that important to this sword. Otherwise, with your level of skill, Swordsman Yan, how could you truly make it move from its sheath, and even help you unleash a strike?"

"It's simply your ambition that aligns with the Humanity principle of continuous self-improvement, which is why you were able to sway even a fraction of its power."

"As for that centipede, although it absorbed a lot of dragon energy, it only wanted to delay and avoid, seeking stability and smooth sailing to survive the great calamity. It was afraid that killing you directly would trigger an even more unpredictable calamity, which gave you a chance to open this sword box in the face of life and death."

Life is unpredictable; every sip and every bite is so subtle.

He sighed with emotion.

"It feeds on the fate of Humanity, believing it has profited from the chaos, and has almost devoured the remnants of this dynasty. It intends to use the offerings of all living beings to nourish itself, and to refine itself into a dragon-transformed Buddha."

"Little do people know that the essence of Humanity lies in mutual understanding and difference, in constant innovation and progress. All principles are contained within this struggle, which symbolizes endless change."

"It devours Humanity, taking its blood as sustenance, and Humanity, in turn, uses it as a sacrifice, gathering its remnants. Only after sweeping away this old energy can a new world be created from the ruins of the past."

"Now that things have come to this, Yan Chixia, since you've done your best, let these small variables 'give it a try'."

"In this world, there is no Heavenly Emperor, nor a true Son of Heaven. Perhaps, that sword is waiting only for a ruler worthy to wield it?"