Clearly, it had crossed paths with this old monk in the distant past, and may even have fought him, and knew how formidable he was.
"May Buddha have mercy, good, good." The old monk finally stopped chanting and spoke slowly.
His voice was dry and hoarse, like two pieces of ancient wood rubbing together, yet it possessed a calming power.
His body was truly reduced to a single layer of dark golden skin tightly covering his bones, yet it was enveloped in the purest and most sacred Buddhist light, making him appear lofty and profound.
"Stop feigning mercy before me!" Crocodile Ancestor said coldly, his black and gold armor gleaming with a chilling light. "Since you're not quite dead, I'll refine you all today, so that even your last breath will vanish into nothingness!"
"This old monk should have already passed away." The old monk seemed oblivious to the Crocodile Ancestor's murderous intent, his gaze calmly sweeping over the Crocodile Ancestor, lingering for a moment on Li Qingshan, before finally looking at the unfathomable Demon Sea Eye, a deep sorrow appearing in his eyes. "For two thousand years, I have forcibly clung to this last breath, not for immortality, but solely to guard this Demon Sea Eye, preventing the calamity of countless ages ago from recurring in the world. If it weren't for the fierce battle between the two benefactors here, the energy pulling and shaking the seal, stirring the Demonic Sea, this old monk fears that even until this golden body completely dissolves, I would never awaken."
Seeing this, Li Qingshan already understood the Cause and Effect. In his previous life, when he read the original novel about Ye Fan's first return to Earth, he knew that this old monk had also appeared.
These five hundred golden Arhats are the guardian saints personally appointed by Shakyamuni at the foot of the Great Thunderclap Temple to guard the Mars Demon Sea Eye and protect the ancient seal. He already knew their origins and missions.
This old monk, being their leader and a revered ancient Buddha, possessed immense lineage and merit! They guarded this place, letting...
Their mission is to suppress the endless spirits of fallen heroes and evil spirits of the Yinghuo Ancient Star; their responsibility is heavier than that of the Primordial Divine Mountain.
This ancient star was once vibrant and a thriving Life Source Land.
Later, its origin was extracted by " Ninety-Nine Dragon Mountains ", and it went through an unimaginable interstellar mythological war, which destroyed all its prosperity and turned it into a dead silence.
Countless powerful warriors have perished here, and countless sacred bones are buried here, making it a gathering place for heroic spirits and resentment—a Hell on earth, extremely yin and evil! All the malevolent energy and undying battle spirits were ultimately gathered and sealed within this North Sea Demon Eye.
"No wonder!" The ancient crocodile's blood-red eyes grew even colder as it suddenly realized, "I have tried many times to go against the flow of the black ocean and delve into the sea eye, but I have always been blocked by an invisible force at the key entrance, unable to truly enter the core! So it was you bunch of persistent monks."
"Benefactor, now that you have found the Demon Sea Eye, you should naturally know how it was formed back then." The old monk's voice was weak, but every word was clear, carrying a warning, "And you should also understand what unspeakable existence is sealed in its deepest depths."
Once greed takes hold, it can lead to catastrophic disaster.
"A catastrophe?" Crocodile Ancestor sneered, his voice chilling. "So many years have passed, the world has changed, and star systems have shifted. Even if there were immortals inside back then, they would have long since turned to dust. What could be left? Nothing more than some unclaimed treasures and Fortune!"
"Yes, beings from that era shouldn't have survived to this day," the old monk said slowly, unperturbed. "But benefactor, don't forget where this place is. Mars, the North Sea Demon Eye, has been one of the most Yin and desolate places in the universe since time immemorial! You've seen it yourself, ghost ships emerging from history, countless battle spirits transformed into Yin spirits and evil ghosts. Not to mention those deliberately sealed in the most..."
Deep within, tainted by the yin energy of death and the resentment of ages past, what strange changes will occur to this ancient being under the erosion of time? Who can predict?
He paused, the golden light in his Buddha eyes intensifying slightly. "Now, in the deepest part of that demonic eye, an unimaginable supreme-level Yin Spirit and a collection of the resentment of unparalleled heroic souls have likely already been conceived. It is no longer a mere remnant, but a perilous and annihilating place that no one can easily trample upon, and that will inevitably suffer a backlash if touched. Forcibly opening it may bring disaster not only to Mars."
Li Qingshan stood quietly to one side, surrounded by Xuanhuang Qi.
He listened to the conversation between the demon and the Buddha with a deep gaze, showing no sign of being eager to make a move.
"Old monk, two thousand years have passed, and you still wish to obstruct my path?" The ancient crocodile's voice was chilling, its black and gold armor clanging and vibrating, each scale emanating a killing intent that could tear through the Void, like an invisible celestial sword slashing wildly in all directions, carving out bottomless and terrifying ravines on the earth and sky, its demonic power overwhelming the world.
"My teachings are far inferior to those of Shakya." The monk clasped his hands together, his gaunt face appearing even more serene in the light of the Buddha's teachings. "Before Shakya attained enlightenment, he indeed sought out many wise teachers, including Brahmin sages and fellow ascetics. I was merely a fellow traveler he encountered on his path of asceticism; I cannot be considered his teacher."
This old monk is none other than the guide who guided Shakyamuni before his enlightenment, known for his ascetic practices—a true ancient Buddha!
"Old monk, who do you think you are!" Crocodile Ancestor took a step forward, his black and gold boots crushing the Void with a muffled roar, his killing intent locking onto the golden ancient ship like a tsunami. "I admit I am no match for Shakyamuni, but to kill you, is that not enough? Even if you were once half his master, today you cannot protect this Demon Sea Eye, much less protect yourself!"
He was incomparably powerful and domineering, his armor clanging and gleaming, unleashing countless strands of dark sword light that cleaved the heavens and earth.
Yu then boarded the Buddha's ship and carried out the act of annihilation.
"Namo Ratna Trayaya, Namo Arya Avalokiteshvara, Svabhava Bodhi Sattvaya," the old monk said no more, his lips moving as he uttered the most ancient and pure mantra for subduing demons.
One by one, fist-sized, golden Sanskrit runes leaped from its mouth and were imprinted in the Void.
Each rune is as heavy as a mountain, containing boundless Buddhist teachings, suppressing evil spirits and purifying demonic atmosphere.
"Clang!" Clang!"
Crocodile Ancestor made a fierce move, his iron fist covered in black armor slamming into the sky, colliding violently with the golden runes that filled the air, unleashing a deafening clang of metal against metal, Mars flying everywhere, each stray Mars enough to incinerate mountains and rivers.
At their level, every gesture is a manifestation and collision of the laws of heaven and earth; their techniques have returned to simplicity, yet their power is earth-shattering.
If it weren't for the unique nature of the Yinghuo Ancient Star, the aftershocks of their battle alone would have been enough to shatter half of an ordinary Ancient Life Star.
At this moment, the Order Divine Chains soared like dragons, piercing through the boundless Void, and the ripples of law spread into the depths of the universe.
This was a truly fierce battle, with the Buddha's light and demonic energy clashing violently, both sides holding nothing back, determined to utterly destroy the other.
This is a clash of ideologies, a battle of paths, and even more so, a reckoning of Cause and Effect accumulated over thousands of years!
"Namo Ratna Trayaya,"
Suddenly, on the golden ancient ship, the five hundred golden Arhats, who had been silent for countless years and seemed to have long since passed away, all began to chant scriptures in unison, their voices deep and resounding! It was the undying will they had accumulated in their lives, the Buddhist Dharma fluctuations remaining within their golden bodies, that were now completely activated and resonated by the old monk's mantra for subduing demons!
The sound of Zen chanting resounded throughout the Mars!
The five hundred Arhats chanted their lingering thoughts in unison, converging into a vast and unfathomable torrent of divine sound that swept across the Bitter Sea.
The entire golden ancient ship shone brightly, and the originally dim Buddha and Bodhisattva carvings on the hull, as well as the supreme Dharma array personally inscribed by Shakyamuni, were now fully activated! Intricate and unfathomable Buddhist patterns emerged from the hull, intertwining under the sky and connecting to form a pure land array that covered the heavens and the earth.
This ancient ship was actually a supreme magical artifact that had reached at least the level of Heritage Saint Weapon. Now, under the combined impetus of the old monk and the lingering remnants of the five hundred Arhats, it was completely revived, its Buddhist power vast and boundless, ready to deliver all demons and monsters from the world!
The Buddha's teachings are boundless and profound, and at this moment they reveal another kind of majesty beyond "conversion": subduing demons!
The chanting continued unabated, like the resounding toll of a great bell, deafening and awakening. Countless golden runes, like a surging sea, engulfed the area, forcibly suppressing and purifying the overwhelming demonic aura of the Crocodile Ancestor. The Buddha's light transformed into Eternal, creating a dazzling and sacred scene both above and below.
Although the Crocodile Ancestor was powerful, a peerless demon saint, he was no match for Shakyamuni's "half-master," and this ship that carried the essence of Shakya's teachings...
The Buddhist treasure, which embodies the will of five hundred Arhats, suddenly found itself in a predicament, as the demonic magic was continuously weakened and dissolved by the all-pervasive chanting and Buddhist light that specifically countered evil.
This ancient ship holds extraordinary significance here, having been forged to help people cross the " Bitter Sea." Now, as it confronts the Crocodile Ancestor, this "great demon" who has stirred up boundless storms, it is the time for its true power to be displayed.
The fierce battle raged on for an unknown period of time, the clash of laws causing spacetime in this area to become disordered.
As the first faint rays of dawn struggled to pierce through the thin atmosphere of Mars and illuminate this scarred land, the chanting on the golden ancient ship gradually subsided, and the boundless brilliance of the Buddha's light also dimmed noticeably.
"The Buddha is one foot tall, but the demon is ten feet tall!" The ancient crocodile sneered, his black and gold armor bearing numerous scorch marks and dents, yet his aura remained ferocious. "Old monk, do you think you can convert me with your meager candlelight? Unless Shakya himself descends!"
"This humble monk is old." The old monk's aura flickered like a candle in the wind, his life force rapidly waning, his already withered body becoming even more translucent. "My life force has long been exhausted; I should have passed away long ago. Today, I forcefully raise this last thought, not to save you, but only to see your end. Even the fullest amount of evil karma will eventually come to an end."
"Nonsense!" How could Crocodile Ancestor believe such a verse?
The old monk said no more, uttered a soft Buddhist chant, and the last radiance of his body completely faded away.
His lifespan had long been exhausted, and he had only managed to stay alive until now thanks to his unwavering will and the power of his golden body. Even without this battle, he would have reached the point of exhaustion and returning to nothingness.
For cultivators in the Shrouding the Heavens World, dying on the battlefield is far more fortunate than dying of old age in obscurity. Li Qingshan observed the situation calmly and did not interfere in this inevitable battle.
"If I don't go to Hell, who Hell?"