Suddenly, Sword Light rose, and Buddha Light scattered like falling petals!
A few breaths later, Sword Qi crisscrossed the dim Solar Disc, cutting down the few strands of Buddha Light that had risen to resist!
Once those strands dispersed, the faint red glow on the Solar Disc swiftly faded, revealing a nearly dead star.
Almost the entire surface of the star was desert. Ruins of cities, mountains, and rivers lay scattered across it like pieces on a Star-Luo board, but most had already weathered away, as though a thousand years had washed over them in a brief span, leaving indelible traces of time.
Wooo...
Amid the howling wind, shadows flickered in and out of the blowing sand. Vestiges of former splendor could still be glimpsed, but not a trace of life remained.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just then, rhythmic tremors sounded from deep within the desolate star. A Sword Ray burst through layer after layer of soil and rock, soaring into the sky!
A dazzling Golden Light followed close behind!
The Sword Light wheeled overhead and revealed Red Essence the Daoist. The Golden Light coalesced in midair, shining in every direction. At its center sat a long-haired man in a Kasaya. Though dressed as a monk, his face, young and handsome at first, visibly aged in the blink of an eye, taking on a look of suffering.
"I told you, even if Buddhism declined, it wouldn't touch you, fellow Daoist Randeng. The essence of this great religion's thousands of years of accumulated strength and the faith of hundreds of millions of beings fell into your pocket long ago." Red Essence sheathed his Long Sword and stood in midair, smiling despite the wariness in his eyes. "Buddhism's schemes, its history, its legends—all were your handiwork."
"How tragic." The long-haired monk shook his