Buddha and Demon Clash!
"This Earth Temple is indeed problematic!" Qi Yun like lightning, quickly moving away from the clay monk who was temporarily trapped by iron sand, his mind racing.
"Logically speaking, the Dao Land born and nurtured by nature should be the purest creations of nature. How could they be mixed with Buddhist teachings of conversion?"
Could it be that the original owner of this ' Yin Ruins ' Remnant Realm?
Although Buddhism is classified as a righteous sect, its doctrines are domineering, its methods of conversion are unpredictable and bizarre, and it forcibly changes the will of others.
Therefore, they are not welcomed by most orthodox sects.
The current imperial court, which rules the Central Plains, especially despises Buddhism.
Several crackdowns have resulted in a near-total absence of Buddhist and Daoist practitioners in inland areas.
Their power was mostly confined to the area south of the mountains and near the sea.
"The two places are separated by tens of thousands of miles. How did this Remnant Realm drift here and happen to be discovered by the Yellow Springs Netherworld?"
Qi Yun's mind was filled with doubts, and he vaguely felt that there might be something else going on behind the scenes.
Having experienced the eeriness and danger of this Earth Temple, his vigilance was now at its highest.
As he pondered this, Qi Yun looked down at the Soul Refining Banner in his hand; a crack that had been pointed out on the banner pole was still clearly visible.
If the Soul Refining Banner hadn't flown back in time to protect its master...
The resentment of a hundred ghosts forcibly interfered with the scripture of salvation.
He's probably going to suffer a real loss.
"Hmm? Such pure Sword Qi!" His gaze fell on the crack, sensing a trace of extremely refined, sharp intent that could cut through illusion.
A light touch with my fingertip caused a slight stinging sensation, and a drop of blood seeped out.
He was clearly injured by the still-lingering, sharp Sword Qi.
"The methods of the Azure Sect cultivators, huh?" Qi Yun's eyes darkened slightly.
Among the cultivators now trapped in this Yin Ruins, the only one he could be wary of was that Azure Sect disciple with a deep and unfathomable aura and pure Sword Intent.
As for the others--
He was confident that he could suppress them with one hand, even if they were at the same level.
Suppressing his concerns about the Azure Sect cultivators, Qi Yun concealed his aura and continued to explore deeper into the Zhuodi Earth Temple.
The deeper you go, the thicker the surrounding hazy mist seems to grow.
The Qi of Earth Sha is also more refined and—heavier.
Trouble ensued.
At first, only a few scattered figures flashed by at the edge of my field of vision.
But as they went deeper, the figures of those clay monks began to appear more frequently.
They are no longer merely peeping, but rather, like an extension of the temple itself, appearing silently beside the main hall and at the entrance.
They even blocked the middle of the passageway.
They still retained that compassionate expression, their empty eyes "staring" at the intruder.
Although no attack was launched immediately, the invisible pressure and the ever-present chanting of conversion scriptures exuded an extremely dangerous aura.
Qi Yun tried to force his way through, but even if he turned these clay monks into dust, the surrounding Qi of Earth Sha could easily restore them to their original state in an instant.
Moreover, these clay monks seemed to have chosen him.
Neither the skeletons nor the vengeful spirits within the Soul Refining Banner could lure them away.
"If all else fails, just blast a path through?"
Feeling a bit annoyed by the blockade, Qi Yun's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
Behind them, countless white skeletons lurked, their eyes blazing with monstrous, Corpse Poison Yin Fire.
At Qi Yun's command, these skeletons will immediately sacrifice themselves.
A spectacular explosion of artistic expression!
Fortunately, thanks to his keen perception of Qi and the protection of the Soul Refining Banner, Qi Yun finally discovered the key amidst the layers of monks blocking the way.
"That's it!" A flash of inspiration struck Qi Yun. "While Buddhist power can subdue evil spirits, everything has its limits. The purest and most refined Yin energy can also corrupt and interfere with this strange creation that relies on the combination of earthly evil and Buddhist intent."
He recalled True Person Qianxin's mission: to seize control of the core of the Earth Temple.
"This control is probably not a physical switch."
Within these Buddhist relics, the core element might be a form of acceptance, or perhaps a form of suppression.
Qi Yun's sharp gaze swept over the densely packed figures of clay monks before him.
The final image focuses on that tightly closed, dimly lit hall, carved with intricate earth patterns and a blurred image of Buddha preaching.
"To gain recognition, one must either knock on the door with pure Buddhist cultivation, or—" He took a deep breath, his True Essence surging wildly into the Soul Refining Banner, "And forcefully suppress the remaining Buddhist intent here with absolute power."
"Let this Earth Temple acknowledge my existence!"
"The core of this Earth Temple is probably inside that main hall!"
The key to getting in might not be avoiding these monks.
The key lies in persuading them to make way with a force they cannot resist!
He gripped the Soul Refining Banner tightly, and black smoke rose from its surface like wolf smoke. The mournful howls of a hundred ghosts once again overwhelmed the deathly silence of this space.
"Buzz-!"
The Soul Refining Banner was suddenly plunged into the dim yellow stone slab beneath their feet, the banner pole sinking deep into the ground, the banner fluttering loudly.
Qi Yun rapidly formed hand Method Formula, his internal "Innate One Qi Heart Method" circulating wildly, pouring his pure True Essence into the banner without reservation.
At the same time, the Nether Spring White Bone Method was also invoked!
One hundred and eight white skeletons roared out, their eerie Yin Qi surging like a tide, connecting with the aura of the Soul Refining Banner and merging into one.
"Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, the underworld clears the way!"
All dharmas are illusory; only I am supreme!
Qi Yun let out a low shout, his voice as cold as ice from the Nine Nethers hell.
In an instant, the Soul Refining Banner seemed to transform into a gateway to the underworld. The banner surface bulged and expanded violently, and the towering black energy erupted like a volcano that had been suppressed for ten thousand years!
"Woohoo--!!!"
"Hehehe-!"
"How I hate it! How I suffer!"
Countless twisted, tormented, and extremely venomous faces surged out of the black mist, and hundreds of ferocious vengeful spirits, having already devoured each other and possessed considerable strength, manifested their forms.
They whipped up a soul-devouring wind and emitted a heart-wrenching, mournful howl.
One hundred and eight white skeletal skulls blazed with intense soul fire from their eye sockets, spewing out grayish-white death energy that merged with the black mist filling the sky.
A chilling wind howled, and ghostly figures loomed large!
Centered on Qi Yun, a terrifying and eerie ghost realm, defying the Qi of Earth Sha, expanded across this dim and yellow Buddhist land.
Wherever the black energy passed, the dense Qi of Earth Sha was forcibly corrupted, becoming cold and bone-chilling.
Qi Yun in the center of the myriad ghosts, his black robes fluttering, surrounded by an extremely yin and evil aura of the underworld. He held a giant guillotine, his eyes cold as if looking at ants.
Like a lord of the ghost realm descended to the mortal world, he holds sway over the cycle of life and death!
This unbridled, malevolent power completely enraged the remaining Buddhist intent within the Earth Temple!
Namo Amitabha Buddha--
A grand, solemn chant, seemingly from ancient times, suddenly arose, drowning out the wails of the hundred ghosts.
Deep within the Earth Temple, a wisp of golden light, as thin as a strand of hair, faintly revived.
In an instant!
One after another, clay monks appeared out of thin air.
Countless golden rays of light surged from their bodies, coalescing into illusory figures of Buddhas, Arhat, and Bodhisattvas.
These figures are solemn and dignified, with compassionate faces. Some sit cross-legged on lotus thrones, chanting scriptures with lowered brows; others hold Law Artifact and glare angrily.
Streaks of golden Buddhist light, like sharp swords, pierced through the surging black energy.
Countless golden Buddhist scriptures and seals appeared out of thin air, spinning and carrying the power to save all beings and suppress evil spirits, crushing towards the Netherworld.
Suddenly, the scene became bizarre and fantastical, like a myth reborn.
On one side is a Buddhist Pure Land, where golden lotuses bloom everywhere and chanting fills the air.
The phantom of Buddha smiled, holding up a flower, and uttered mantras, each word transforming into golden scriptures that fell like rain, attempting to purify the vengeful spirits.
The Arhat glared angrily, brandishing his vajra, unleashing beams of light that pierced through the black mist.
The Bodhisattva, in his compassion, sprinkles down sweet rain, which is none other than the Buddha's dew, containing the power of salvation.
Wherever it passed, even the wails of vengeful spirits seemed to weaken, and their eyes showed a momentary confusion.
On the other side was the Netherworld, a realm of monstrous darkness, filled with the wailing of countless ghosts.
The ferocious vengeful spirits fearlessly lunged at the Buddha's light, sizzling as they were burned by it, their forms disintegrating. Yet, with the support of the Eastern Soul Banner, they quickly reformed, tearing and scratching even more frantically, defiling the Buddha's light with their own resentment.
The skeletal skull cackled grotesquely, spewing out Corpse Poison Yin Fire that corroded the golden swastika Buddhist seal, turning it a somber gray.
Countless ghostly hands reached out from the black mist, grabbing at the illusory Buddha images, attempting to drag them into the Avici Hell.
Compassionate chanting mingled with venomous Curse!
The purifying light of Buddha clashed with the filthy ghostly energy!
Space was violently distorted by two extremely opposing forces, emitting a hum that seemed unable to bear the strain. The dim, yellowish ground was sometimes bathed in Buddhist light, and at other times filled with eerie ghostly energy, alternating constantly.
Qi Yun's face turned slightly pale as he focused all his energy on maintaining the output of the Soul Refining Banner, feeling the immense jade power emanating from his Divine Soul.
That Buddhist intent, though without a root, was only a trace.
However, it is of extremely high quality, grand and magnificent, and has a natural restraint on the power of the demonic path.
If it weren't for the fact that his Soul Refining Banner had undergone multiple version updates, resulting in a far greater number and quality of vengeful spirits than usual, and that it wasn't further enhanced by Evil Method like the Nether Spring White Bone Method, it probably wouldn't have been able to hold on for long.
"Hmph! Just a regretful remnant, yet you dare to stop me!" With a fierce grit of his teeth, Qi Yun flipped his hand and took out a handful of pills, stuffing them into his mouth. His internal energy, which had been greatly depleted and was showing True Essence of exhaustion, surged instantly, and he poured it all into the Soul Refining Banner.
With this surge of True Essence, the Soul Refining Banner, which had been showing signs of weakness, was once again energized, roaring out a vast expanse of black energy that surged like a raging sea, crashing fiercely against the magnificent golden Buddha light!
Bang!
This strike caused the Buddha's light to tremble and dim.
The perfect and flawless Buddhist intent suddenly developed a slight crack.
Now!
Seizing the opportunity in an instant, Qi Yun swept up the Soul Refining Banner with a wave of his sleeve, his figure suddenly transforming into a blur as he plunged into the rift.
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