Post-battle review

Above the Buddha statue's head, a great sun slowly rises.

In an instant, the world was filled with pure and majestic Buddhist light, and the whole world seemed to have become a Buddhist kingdom.

The rays of this great sun pierced the vortex in the sky, causing the clouds to collapse, stopping the raging sandstorm, and turning the dust into molten lava that fell like rain.

Fire rained down from the sky, but most of it turned to ashes before it even hit the ground, drifting and swirling in the air.

The scene was magnificent and spectacular.

Under the illumination of Buddha's light, the Vajra image rapidly "melted," turning into ashes inch by inch from the skin to the flesh, only to be reborn in an instant, repeating this process repeatedly.

"Roar!"

The god's furious and mournful roar shook the entire world.

Thump, thump, thump. The ground trembled as the divine form strode forward toward the sun.

He walked slowly, each step feeling like a heavy burden, each step dropping countless ashes. Gradually, a row of dark, oily footprints appeared on the ground.

He endured unimaginable pain.

Nalan Tianlu closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"It is said that the Buddha has nine forms, so why can he only use the form of Vairocana Buddha? Is it because the seal is still in place? The Witch God seems unable to unleash such powerful energy."

"This shows that the Buddha's ability to break free of the seal far surpasses that of the sorcerer, which is not good. It will be difficult to kill the Garuda tree now."

"The Dharma form of the Great Sun Tathagata can easily kill all super-grade beings below the half-step Martial God level."

"Hmm, Shen Shu has just reconstructed his body, and his combat power is not at its peak. If he can get close to the Buddha, he might still have a chance. Otherwise, although a half-step Martial God has reappeared in the world today, it is destined to be a flash in the pan."

The Great Feng and the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons are plotting to reclaim their heads, while the Buddhist School is waiting for them to walk right into their trap.

"Now, it all comes down to who has more trump cards and stronger methods. When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured, which is a win-win situation for our Witch God Cult."

Nalan Tianlu wiped away his tears and activated his Blood Spirit Technique to relieve the stinging in his eyes.

After taking more than ten slow but firm steps, Shenshu began to slow down. Each step required him to gather his strength for several seconds. The unimaginable high temperature was scorching his body, and what was even more terrifying was the Buddhist power contained within.

This force, existing at the microscopic level, penetrated Shen Shu's body, destroying his body cells and disintegrating the most minute structures within his genes as a living organism.

Gradually, the pitch-black Vajra image burned away the skull, leaving empty eye sockets, with only two flames of soul burning.

He hasn't taken a single step in a long time.

The nine-tailed celestial fox gazed into the distance, tears streaming from her beautiful eyes, her delicate brows furrowed, and she said urgently:

"This round of the Great Sun is much stronger than the previous one."

Her tears were not because Shenshu was in danger, but because she looked directly at the "scorching sun" and her eyes were injured by the Buddha's light, which caused her to shed tears.

Asuro, tears streaming down his face, said in a deep voice:

"It's okay, we still have a trump card!"

Even so, he couldn't help feeling anxious. It wasn't that he was worried about Shen Shu, since Shen Shu had now returned to the half-step Martial God realm, and even a Super Grade wouldn't be able to kill Shen Shu easily.

However, the other party is, after all, a top-tier player, and even with a detailed plan, it's impossible to be completely foolproof.

A figure appeared above Shen Shu's head, completely naked.

The moment he appeared, his clothes were burned by the power of the Vairocana Buddha's image.

Li Miaozhen, Asuluo Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, and other extraordinary beings all stood up, staring intently. Despite tears streaming down their faces and their eyes stinging unbearably, they were unwilling to miss any detail.

This is the trump card Asura mentioned; in their plan, this is the final measure.

Success or failure hinges on this one move.

"Xu, Xu Qi'an?"

Nalan Tianlu, who was watching from a distance, was stunned. He thought to himself, "Is he courting death? No matter how powerful a first-rank martial artist is, he cannot withstand the 'scorching' of the Great Sun Tathagata's Dharma Image for long."

Even a half-step Martial God is almost exhausted; how could he, a mere first-rank martial artist, possibly succeed?

But what happened next left Nalan Tianlu speechless: Xu Qi'an, who was standing on Shen Shu's head, was swallowed up by Shen Shu.

Although the light emanating from the image of Vairocana Buddha was too dazzling, he still managed to see this detail clearly.

Nalan Tianlu was right, but this was not a devouring, but a temporary fusion.

In the realm of top-tier martial artists, this is called "body possession," which involves merging with the target's flesh and blood to take over their body.

However, unlike possession by the Primordial Spirit, possession by flesh and blood is not as cruel. The possessor can choose to lie dormant and return the initiative to the host, or they can choose to coexist with the host and control the body at the same time.

After possessing another body, one can forcibly separate it by relying on control over one's own flesh and blood.

This move can only be used by martial artists of extremely high skill levels; Shen Shu used it on Xu Qi'an in the same way.

The only drawback of "body possession" is that while vitality and physical strength can be complementary, combat power and realm are difficult to enhance.

Because Shen Shu is stronger than Xu Qi'an, he is downward compatible, and accommodating a first-rank martial artist cannot raise the upper limit of a half-step martial god.

After merging with Xu Qi'an, the pitch-black Vajra Dharma Image changed at a speed visible to the naked eye. The red-hot skull regenerated flesh and blood, and the flesh and blood in various parts of the body rapidly proliferated.

He gained Xu Qi'an's power and the spiritual essence of the Immortal Tree.

The power of the Vairocana Buddha's form continuously melts flesh and blood, but its regenerative ability keeps the two in a relative balance.

In the short term, this round of great solar eclipse is unlikely to cause serious damage to Shenshu.

Thump, thump, thump. Finally, he reached the Buddha. His dark form, with its twenty-three arms clasped together, grasped the great sun atop the Buddha's head.

Then, the last arm stretched out behind him, and Xu Qi'an's voice echoed across the vast wilderness of the Western Regions:

"Knife!"

The scholar's carving knife in Zhao Shou's hand whistled out.

During its flight, it transformed from emitting a faint, clear light into a ball of light resembling a meteorite, its radiance surging and filling the universe with pure energy.

This carving knife rarely displays such power.

At this moment, it seemed to be the true supreme-grade magical Law Artifact.

A clear light shone in Zhao Shou's eyes, and his feelings were complicated. He looked at the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox and said:

"Weren't you curious before about why I opposed Xu Qi'an summoning the spirit of the Confucian sage?"

The nine-tailed celestial fox's gaze remained fixed on the distance, two clear tear tracks etched on her fair and beautiful face. She spoke softly:

"Summoning the Confucian sage will cause him irreparable damage."

Zhao Shou hummed in agreement and slowly said:

"The price of summoning the Confucian Sage is the backlash from the rules of Heavenly Dao, an injury beyond the ordinary. The Flower Goddess's spiritual essence can heal it, but it cannot heal the backlash from the rules."

He paused, then said:

"The Sage of Confucianism's Carving Knife has been a hidden gem in my hands, never displaying the power befitting a superior Law Artifact, except for the two times when Wei Yuan and the Supervisor summoned the spirit of the Sage of Confucianism. Do you know why?"

Li Miaozhen and the others looked at each other and shook their heads.

Zhao Shou Shoudao:

"The Confucian sage was a man of great fortune, and throughout history, he was the one who amassed the most profound and abundant fortune."

Everyone understood instantly.

To truly unleash the power of the Confucian sage's carving knife, one must possess great fortune.

Although Zhao Shou follows the path of Confucian Dao, he was previously buried in the fields, and now that he has entered the court as an official, he has not been there long enough to unleash the power of the Confucian sage's carving knife.

"After the Chaotic Fate Hammer opened his Aperture Opening, Xu Ningyan was able to freely control the national destiny within his body," Zhao Shou said with a smile.

Therefore, there is no need to summon the spirit of the Confucian sage.

As they spoke, the clear light sent them into the palm of the divine hand.

Vast Righteous Qi flowed along his arm, covering the dark Dharma image, effectively resisting the scorching heat of the Great Sun Tathagata.

"Buddha!"

Shen Shu roared angrily and thrust the Confucian carving knife in his hand with force.

On the vast plains of the Western Regions, a golden halo rapidly spread, rippling outwards for hundreds of miles.

It's just like the prelude to a star's explosion.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening thud began to resound, accompanied by a sudden expansion of golden light, which shot out in all directions like streams of fire, scattering into the distant wilderness.

Li Miaozhen and other extraordinary experts had already left Aranya, but they were still injured by the power of the collapse of the Great Sun Tathagata's Dharma Image.

Left with no other choice, Sun Xuanji endured the burning pain and led everyone away via teleportation.

After the violent and chaotic golden light dissipated, the pitch-black Dharma image stood alone between heaven and earth. His twelve arms had been shattered, and his chest and abdomen were almost blown through. Whether it was the wounds on his arms or chest and abdomen, the flesh was writhing, but it was difficult to heal.

The blurred Buddha statue collapsed again into a mountain of flesh, which stubbornly and slowly climbed up the dark image, devouring him.

The pitch-black Dharma image slowly raised its foot and forcefully stomped on the mountain of flesh.

It looked like two exhausted, wounded men, fueled by hatred, struggling to crawl toward each other, trying to bite each other to death.

When Nalan Tianlu, who had sneaked back, saw this scene, he suddenly felt a sense of accomplishment, thinking, "I've succeeded again."

But reason helped him control his impulses and recognize his own limitations.

At this moment, the mountain of flesh split open, revealing three bodhisattvas sitting cross-legged. They were weak and did not appear to be in good condition.

Let's go!

Xu Qi'an's voice came from within the dark Dharma body.

Now that they're leaving, even the Buddha can't stop them.

The objective of this mission has been achieved, and there is no point in staying to continue fighting, because they cannot kill the Buddha, and both he and Shenshu are now extremely weak.

There was also a second-rank rain master watching from the side.

The two-hundred-foot-tall Dharma image slowly departed, walking across the wilderness and heading into the distance.

Behind him lay the ruins of Aranya, upon which lay the Buddha, slowly writhing, appearing listless and weak.

"Xu Qi'an can unleash the power of the Confucian Sage's Carving Knife. The Half-Step Martial God has reappeared in the world, and the Buddha's breaking free from the seal far surpasses that of the Witch God. The three Bodhisattvas are not dead; it is not advisable to take advantage of the chaos. Let's leave quietly."

Nalan Tianlu briefly summarized the intelligence.

The first and second pieces of information are extremely important, as they essentially reveal another of Xu Qi'an's trump cards.

"Hey, how ironic. The one who can truly wield the Confucian Sage's carving knife isn't a transcendent being from the Cloud Deer Academy, but a crude brute."

Nalan Tianlu chuckled, then fell silent again.

Putting aside the cultivation system, the person surnamed Xu is indeed qualified to use a carving knife.

Southern Frontier.

Inside the palace of the Demon Queen, Li Miaozhen held a cup of hot tea and frequently looked out of the palace.

"They're still separated? When will they be able to reunite?"

This was the third time she had asked the same question.

Two hours had passed since they returned to the Southern Frontier from the Western Regions.

After Xu Qi'an and Shen Shu entered the Sealing Tower, they never came out again, while Li Miaozhen and the others stayed in Wan Yao Mountain to recuperate.

The silver-haired enchantress, reclining on the soft couch, was radiant as she invited everyone to drink tea and wine, looking as cheerful as if she were in high spirits.

She giggled sweetly:

"Don't rush. At their level, it takes time for them to separate, and Shen Shu also needs to merge with the remnant soul in the head to restore himself to his peak. It won't be that quick."

Li Miaozhen snorted coldly.

She was actually afraid that Shen Shu would suddenly go mad and "eat" Xu Qi'an.

Peak martial artists in the same field can plunder each other's Qi and Blood.

In her opinion, Xu Ningyan was taking too much of a risk.

An ally isn't your biological father; how can you be so open and honest with them?

"Master, please say something!"

True Disciple her voice to the leader of the Earth Sect.

Jinlian shook her head and said:

"Have you forgotten the fate of the nation that Xu Qi'an carries?"

The nation's destiny has merged with Xu Qi'an's, making it difficult for non- Warlock System masters to eliminate him. If Shen Shu wants to devour Xu Qi'an, he must refine the destiny, which this half-step Martial God clearly lacks.

Blue Lotus thought about it and realized it made sense, which put her at ease.

After exchanging a few casual words, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox turned the topic to the battle that had just taken place, looked around at the extraordinary experts, and said:

"It seems there's something wrong with the Buddha?"

"In the previous battle, He did not use any other forms besides the Vairocana Buddha form."

Master Jinlian pondered for a moment and said:

"Perhaps the seal wasn't completely broken?"

Asuro shook his head:

"I'm certain that the seal of the Confucian Sage no longer exists. Rather, it's more accurate to say that after separating from the divine power, He lost some of His strength, and therefore could only unleash the Great Sun Tathagata."

The silver-haired enchantress immediately dismissed her nominal brother's guess, "But Shen Shu only knows the Vajra Dharma Form."

What about the power of other Dharma forms?

Zhao Shou pondered for a moment, then exhaled and said:

"I have two ideas: First, when the Supervisor summoned the spirit of the Confucian sage and destroyed the Dharma form of the Great Sun Tathagata, it caused some kind of damage to the Buddha, weakening His combat power."

"Secondly, the Buddha was not the real Buddha; there was another person."

After thinking it over, the extraordinary individuals felt that both possibilities were very likely.

Given the supervisor's strategic planning abilities, it's highly likely that he did indeed hold back a contingency plan, laying the groundwork for today's battle.

As for the second guess, we'll have to wait and see.

Shenshu regained his wholeness, his memories were no longer fragmented, and he could get answers to any questions directly from him.

"Buddha, why did you become like that?" Li Miaozhen asked the question she had been curious about for a long time.

She was referring to that exaggerated and terrifying mountain of flesh.

"Perhaps this is His true form," Zhao Shou said, offering a chilling answer upon closer examination.

Asuro shook his head:

"I have never seen the Buddha, but in the legends of the Asuras, the Buddha wore a robe, his body was as if cast in gold, and he had a human form."

"But that might just be an incarnation, or an illusion," the silver-haired enchantress said.

If it's an avatar or an illusion, their cultivation level won't be too high. Zhao Shou looked at Asuluo:

What level of cultivation was the Asura King at that time?

If the Asura King had already been a half-step Martial God or a first-rank expert, it would have been difficult for the Buddha's incarnation to suppress him.

Asuro frowned and shook his head to explain:

"At that time, the ranks had not yet been defined. When I was still in my mother's womb, the Asura King was killed by the Buddha in Aranya. His people only said that the Asura King was an invincible powerhouse in the Western Regions."

"Once Shen Shu wakes up, we can ask him."

Since Sun Xuanji had no monkeys with him, he could only watch his companions discuss the matter with a sense of loneliness, unable to join in the conversation.

He had a million ideas running through his mind, all sorts of flashes of inspiration, but his mouth couldn't keep up with his thoughts.

At this moment, Qing Ji, with her aloof and serene demeanor, graceful figure, and the air of a refined lady, entered the palace with her skirts fluttering.

"Your Majesty, Master Shenshu and Xu Yinluo have awakened."