Entrance

When Yang Wuwei entered, Funeng's anger had subsided somewhat.

The latter, being a direct descendant of the Great Temple, was unintentionally betrayed and harmed by Jiang Qing. Although he was temporarily unable to suppress his anger, he could not let his resentment control his actions forever.

Yang Wuwei, with his keen eyesight, naturally noticed this. Seeing that the angry expression on the Vajra phantom in front of Funeng had mostly disappeared, Yang Wuwei's heart sank instead.

"This will probably be even more difficult to fight now." Yang Wuwei sighed softly and summoned his signature Spirit Artifact, the Red Scale Wave-Chasing Spear.

This Spirit Artifact is related to Yang Yongcheng's experience two hundred years ago when he hunted a newly advanced Third Tier Demon Beast, the Fire Rock Viper Spirit, in the Cold Crow Mountain Range.

To ensure thoroughness, Yang Yongcheng specifically selected two False Core and more than ten Foundation Establishment True Cultivator the direct lineage of the Yang Household to accompany him in this battle.

Although in the end they still failed to achieve anything, the Fire Rock Viper Spirit was wounded and fled, and more than half of the dozen or so Foundation Establishment True Cultivator were also lost, so much so that for a period of time afterward, when the Yang Household family's illegitimate and legitimate descendants fought, they all showed a mocking expression; however, Yang Yongcheng did find the viper skin that the Fire Rock Viper Spirit shed when it advanced.

The viper hide material was already very close to being Third-Tier Lower-Grade. Yang Yongcheng did not disappoint, finding a skilled craftsman to carefully craft it, and using this Second Tier viper hide as material, he created several top-grade Spirit Artifact.

The Red Scale Wave-Chasing Spear in Yang Wuwei's hand is one of them.

This Spirit Artifact is made by melting various Second Tier spiritual metals into the spear body, and then wrapping the spear body with a layer of Second Tier viper skin. This not only enhances its protective function, but also improves the circulation of spiritual energy, greatly reducing the energy consumption when Foundation Establishment True Cultivator cultivators use it.

The spearhead was forged from a piece of Flood Dragon Pattern Iron passed down in the Ye Prefecture Yang Household, with a reverse wave pattern. The tassel was made by tanning viper whiskers. When it was swung, it made a sound like surging waves. It was indeed an extraordinary Second Tier Spirit Artifact.

Even though Yang Yongcheng had been cultivating to the Golden Core stage for many years, he always kept this weapon by his side as a backup, rarely lending it to younger generations. It wasn't until Yang Wuwei was born and gradually became the most outstanding among the younger generation that the Red Scale Wave-Chasing Spear was fully handed over to the latter.

When an expert makes a move, Funeng's eyes change again.

A crimson glint flashed in the handsome monk's phoenix eyes as he thought to himself, "The first three formations were all mediocre, but who would have thought that the fourth formation, wielding the jade axe, would suddenly become so much more skilled, making them formidable opponents."

I could sense that the fellow still had a trump card up his sleeve that he hadn't yet unleashed. If it weren't for his righteous cultivation and the obvious flaws in his abilities, it would probably take a great deal of effort to defeat him.

The swordsman in the Five Formations, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, was even more rare. No one could have guessed that a mid-stage True Cultivator from this remote and impoverished place could wield Sword Essence. That old bird must have been deliberately scheming against me, trying to lure me into being careless. Otherwise, his half-baked Sword Essence, though fierce, could not have caused me such a great loss.

I thought each subsequent formation would be stronger than the last, but the sixth formation turned out to be all show and no substance, easily defeated. Yet this seventh formation, led by Yang Wuwei, seemed to be an extremely difficult opponent.

Funeng sighed inwardly, a sentiment no outsider could hear. Even this direct descendant of the great temple had unspeakable grievances. Before coming here, had he ever imagined that he would encounter such a mishap on a Shannan Circuit?

These disciples, who were at most from wealthy families, caused him considerable trouble, shattering his plan to force the group to surrender at the first sign of trouble.

"We can't afford to delay any longer. The longer it drags on, the faster my anger will dissipate, while the people behind me will gain more courage. This imbalance is extremely disadvantageous for me."

After figuring things out, Funeng stopped talking and simply returned the greeting with his palms together. Yang Wuwei dared not be negligent and prepared for battle, holding his Red Scale Wave-Chasing Spear in a defensive stance to counter Funeng's impending attack with his strange Buddhist teachings.

"Om!" With a loud Buddhist chant echoing through the training ground once more, the Vajra phantom, its body coated in a layer of bluish-purple karmic fire, attacked again. The vajra in its hand had also been restored to its original form. Although its aura had weakened considerably compared to its peak, it was still not to be underestimated.

At the same time that King Kong attacked, a loud bang also came from a corner of the training ground.

Yang Wuwei plunged his Red Scale Wave-Chasing Spear into the crack in the ground, the tip carving a deep pit in the jade brick. Three viper-like lights shot into the sky, swirled in the air for a while, and then fell back onto the spear, coiling around it endlessly.

Dark red scales appeared on the viper skin of the gun, merging with the viper's spiritual light to deflect the vajra wielded by the illusory image opposite.

There's something to it!

Funeng sat cross-legged on the lotus throne and murmured softly. The Sea-Containing Ice Marrow Bowl was once again upside down, spewing out a large amount of ice mist.

With a rumble, ice walls rose up again from the jade bricks, but this time, they were somewhat different.

Within each ice crystal, sparks of bluish-purple karmic fire danced, a wondrous use resulting from Funeng's masterful control of his two favored Spirit Artifact.

In the blink of an eye, the training ground was transformed into a fiery inferno, with icy shards and flames almost completely engulfing the vast training ground, leaving no blind spots.

Just as Funeng flicked his finger, a golden Sanskrit character fell from his fingertip and landed silently on the jade brick. Yet, it caused the karmic fire ice wall to surround Yang Wuwei from all four corners of the training ground.

The latter was not afraid; he simply formed a mysterious hand seal, causing the Red Scale Wave-Chasing Spear to emit spiritual light and suddenly tremble!

Suddenly, a sharp whistle came from the tip of the spear, and three viper-like beams of light once again broke free from the spear, growing to ten zhang in length.

The Second Tier viper spirit rubbed violently against the ice crystals, and the rising purple mist corroded the ice wall, making it hiss and unable to withstand it; the thin mist coated with Golden Light on the Pure Karma Sweet Spirit Vase also cracked into countless fragments of brilliance after a series of crisp "crack" sounds.

Fortunately, the Pure Land White Lotus remained as resilient as ever. The Second Tier viper spirit, with its overwhelming momentum, landed on it but still returned empty-handed.

After witnessing this, Yang Wuwei frowned even more deeply, while Funeng's smile deepened. The Law Seals in his hands suddenly changed, the Pure Karma Sweet Spirit Vase tilted at a much greater angle, and the blood-red lotus unfolded its petals, oozing out large plumes of red mist.

A golden dewdrop once again flowed from the Pure Karma Sweet Spirit Vase, mixing with the blood lotus mist and rising into the dark clouds overhead, where it condensed into a crimson spiritual rain.

Every drop of rain burned holes in the long jade brick. Yang Wuwei knew something was wrong and immediately formed a magic seal. His skin, which was originally as delicate as that of a courtesan, instantly sprouted countless blue scales, which gleamed coldly and were terrifying.

They thought that would solve everything, but Yang Wuwei still looked pained as he stood in the rain.

As the crimson rain washed over him, large patches of blue scales and blood peeled off Yang Wuwei's body, and even the aura of this eldest son of the Yang Household began to weaken.

"That monk's four Spirit Artifacts are not just used in one way; they can be used for both offense and defense! How much effort did the Xianyu Household actually put in to make such a big show of things? They probably couldn't even force the monk to reveal his true abilities!"

My cousin has cultivated the clan's Cultivation Method, the "Azure Scale Mountain-Bearing Art," and has reached the Foundation Establishment Peak for over twenty years. According to the elders, even ordinary False Core would find it extremely difficult to harm him. How could this be?

Upon seeing this scene, the cultivators of the Yang Household sighed repeatedly, and even the two senior cultivators, Yang Baoshan and Yang Yongcheng, looked worried.

Among the other Golden Core cultivators watching the battle, Senior Cultivator Wufeng, due to his background, had traveled extensively throughout his years of cultivation, seeking fortuitous opportunity. Therefore, although he came from the lowest social class among his peers, his knowledge and experience were not inferior.

With a casual wave of his hand, a wisp of Spiritual Qi emerged from his sleeve, condensing into a hand shape, and drifted towards the dark clouds above the two people in the arena, easily tearing off a strand.

Funeng was displeased, yet he still had the energy to look up. His eyes seemed to hold a blood-gold glint, making Senior Cultivator Wufeng Shangxiu regret his rash actions.

But since the deed was already done, Senior Cultivator Wufeng knew that regret was useless, and he could not reveal his fear at this moment.

So, with a blank expression, he brought the wisp of dark cloud closer for a closer look and blurted out, "It really is Bone-Corroding Blood Rain."

Yang Baoshan recognized the name from the clan's records and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that the method Core Formation of the Snowland Esoteric Buddhism Tantric sect to achieve the Core Formation stage?"

"Indeed, even most monks at the False Core stage find it difficult to achieve true mastery in their entire lives." Senior Cultivator Wufeng his hand again, and the wisp of black cloud in his hand dispersed into vapor.

Upon hearing this, the various Golden Core cultivators had different thoughts, but none of them spoke again or offered any judgment. Instead, they turned their attention back to the training ground.

Yang Wuwei offered up several high-grade Spirit Artifact, hoping to gain assistance and buy himself a moment's respite. However, all of them failed to work, and he lost several useful Spirit Artifact instead.

Left with no other choice, Yang Wuwei gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to perform a magic spell, the Red Scale Spear suddenly trembled violently, and several dazzling inscriptions appeared on the spearhead, which was forged with Sea-Sinking Black Gold.

The inscription was so hot that it melted the scales on Yang Wuwei's right hand, which was holding the spear.

Large spurts of blood spread wildly along the gun marks, making the Second Tier viper skin even more vibrant.

Yang Wuwei's actions clearly indicated that he was about to unleash a remarkable technique, causing all the Yang Household cultivators present who were familiar with the inside story to eagerly await his arrival. Unexpectedly, upon Funeng uttered a Buddhist chant, his expression changing to a solemn one.

A Buddhist chant slowly emerged from Funeng's red lips and white teeth, but Yang Wuwei felt no peace, only annoyance.

Knowing that he would be unable to unleash his prepared techniques if disturbed by the Buddhist chants, Yang Wuwei had no choice but to divert his attention. A dazzling spiritual light shone from his sleeve, and a cyan longsword whistled out.

"Another talisman?" The usually stingy Sect Leader Kang Da couldn't hide his envy in his voice, thinking to himself, "Are talismans so worthless to these young masters? Everyone gets one!"

The powerful rain of blood had no effect on the longsword. The azure blade was incredibly swift, and even the Vajra phantom couldn't stop it. The longsword shattered Funeng's various techniques and landed on the white lotus.

The cyan longsword's unstoppable power was limited by the luminous glow of the Pure Land White Lotus petals. Funeng continued chanting incantations, simply letting the Pure Land White Lotus do its work, until the cyan longsword fell silent, losing all its sharpness.

Even the usually aloof Cao Xianlu was moved at this moment. He was just watching Yang Wuwei's method take shape when he was interrupted by the Buddhist chanting, which disrupted his resolve. As he spat out a mouthful of blood, the power of the countless blood rains falling from above intensified.

Yang Wuwei's mental state became chaotic, and his mind went blank. The green scales covering his body immediately lost their effectiveness and could no longer protect him, and large patches of them were peeled off by the blood rain. Even though the blood rain was short-lived, Yang Wuwei still had no power to retaliate.

Seeing his opponent's defeat, Funeng felt no compassion. He dispersed the flower-holding hand seals, reformed the Wisdom King Incantation Seal, and roared "Hum!"

The sound startled Yang Wuwei, who was lost in the chaos. When he came to his senses, he saw a palm print, ten feet tall, emerge from Funeng's hand.

The handprint had only been ten feet away from Yang Wuwei when it saw all the scales on the latter's body fall off and explode.

A handsome young man from a distinguished Aristocratic Clan ended up with a bloody mess and a disheveled appearance, which moved people deeply.

Under these circumstances, Yang Wuwei knew he could no longer fight. Being quite straightforward, he immediately raised his hand in surrender.

Fei Nanying entered the training ground, Funeng did not dare to act rashly. However, seeing that Fei Nanying had casually revealed the secret of the Golden Buddha Hand and transferred it to him, he immediately bowed and paid his respects.

By this point, Fei Nanying had already grasped most of Funeng. He figured he would be no match for Core Formation, and even after saving Yang Wuwei this time, he was still filled with trepidation.

Cao Xianlu had served in the Ying Mountain Army for quite some time, and Fei Nanying was well aware of his abilities. Objectively speaking, he was no match for this lewd monk.

After seven consecutive defeats, Funeng, despite employing numerous techniques, could hardly be considered to be in a state of decline. In this situation, the expressions of the surrounding cultivators were naturally quite grim. On the other hand, the Golden Core cultivators on the side remained calm and composed.

Juntian Bird was the most composed of them all. It glanced at Funeng with great interest, as the latter's abilities were clearly much stronger than it had anticipated.

Having done all he could, Juntian Bird had lost interest in winning this battle, only muttering to himself, "The more outstanding this little monk's performance, the harder it will be for him to survive."

He glanced into the crowd and thought to himself, "There might be some True Person hiding among them. Old man Gelie's good deeds are going to be ruined. Just don't let him die in my hands, lest it cause a lot of trouble later."

Cao Xianlu stepped onto the training ground in complete silence. He was in a hurry, and when he entered, the Buddhist chanting in the field had not yet dissipated.

Funeng smiled as he plucked a flower, while Cao Xianlu's face hardened. He suddenly waved his hand, and his brocade robes fell away, revealing him naked.

The ghost tiger tattoo spread from his neck to his right fist, and the ghostly energy activated by the Ghost Tiger Suppressing Prison Art etched tiger claw-shaped scorch marks on the ground. He stared at the four Spirit Artifact floating in mid-air, grinning to reveal his gleaming white teeth.

Even though Cao Xianlu looked ferocious and terrifying, Funeng couldn't possibly feel the slightest fear.

The Blood-Leaf Mountain-Crushing Lotus launched the first attack, its petals transforming into crimson flying wheels.

Cao Xianlu neither dodged nor avoided, and a ghostly tiger leaped out from behind him. The tiger's roar shattered three lotus petals and dissipated most of the remaining lotus petals' power.

The remaining flying wheels tried to embed themselves into his body, cutting him into pieces, but only sent up a string of sparks. Kang Dabao inwardly praised, "This Cao Xianlu also cultivates both body and magic; his physical body is far more refined than mine."

"You bald donkey, you certainly have some skill! Come on, come on, let's have a good fight!" Cao Xianlu laughed wildly, grabbed two lotus petals and threw them back. The sound of them tearing through the air was extremely shrill, like the roar of a demon.

Funeng did not shy away; he allowed the white lotus petals to swell up, absorbing all the red lotus petals into the lotus heart, and then remained silent.

Cao Xianlu's attack failed, and in a fit of rage, he unleashed a black rainbow wrapped around his body, and charged forward!

"Clang!"

The Karmic Fire All Evils Bead narrowly blocked the fist aimed at his throat, while large gusts of bluish-purple karmic fire burned upwards along with the ghostly energy.

Cao Xianlu's right arm muscles bulged, and the base of his ghost tiger tattoo glowed. He opened one of his vertical pupils. A burst of green ghost fire erupted from his pupil, forcing Funeng's Karmic Fire All Evils Bead, which had been making a great show of themselves, to retreat with a mournful cry.

Exclamations erupted from the spectator stands. Among the cultivators familiar with the Savage Ghost Sect's foundations, some recognized the "Netherworld Tiger Eye," a skill that could only be learned after thoroughly mastering the Ghost Tiger Suppressing Prison Art.

It was only at this point in the battle that Funeng began to show signs of weakness. Despite not having the upper hand, the monk remained calm, simply setting aside his four handy Spirit Artifact and refusing to use them.

With a flick of his wrist, Funeng formed a hand seal, and another plain-colored lotus seed emerged from the heart of the white lotus, enveloped in Buddhist light as it fell to the ground. A vast expanse of Buddhist light spread out, causing the green ghost fire to swirl and extinguish, losing its power.

Cao Xianlu's face darkened. The ghostly tiger phantom flew swiftly across the jade brick, leaving behind a trail of black footprints glowing with ghostly fire.

Before long, if viewed from the air, these footprints would be visible as forming a mysterious rune. They would eventually burn the remaining jade bricks between them to ashes and merge into one.

Suddenly, a dark brown light screen, several meters in diameter, appeared on the ground. A large amount of ghostly energy shot into the sky from the light screen and condensed into eighteen ghost soldiers holding spears. These ghost soldiers walked with strange steps, creating a misty area outside the Buddha's light.

At this moment, Funeng finally frowned, spread his slender white fingers, and formed a Treasure Vase Seal on the spot. The Pure Land White Lotus on the ground suddenly trembled, the Buddha's light was dazzling, and the dark mist greatly diminished.

"Break!" Cao Xianlu almost bit off half of his tongue, spraying his Essence Blood into the black pupils of the Ghost Tiger tattoo.

The phantom of the ghost tiger grew significantly larger, its tail sweeping the short pestle in the phantom of the Vajra into two pieces, and its mouth biting the neck of the Vajra Dharma Manifestation. As the Buddha's light and ghostly energy intertwined to form a black and white vortex, cracks also appeared on the red lotus beneath Funeng's body.

Funeng ignored it all. The chanting of Buddhist hymns began, and the Buddha's light shone even brighter on the Pure Land White Lotus. It made the group of ghost soldiers who had just appeared with their spears seem to have had their spines pulled out, and they slumped down, unable to exert their power.

The phantom of the ghost tiger was in even worse shape; its body, which had just swelled up, was shrunk back down. The Vajra's face showed no mercy whatsoever; he came over with his bare hands, grabbed the tiger's head, and pulled hard, severely damaging the long-raging ghost.

Seeing that the ghostly energy was condensing into a ball at the neck of the ghost tiger, and a brand new tiger head was about to be formed, Funeng chanted "Om" again. A beam of Buddhist light came out from the heart of the Pure Land White Lotus and struck the neck of the ghost tiger without obstruction, pressing the tiger head that had already taken shape and was about to leap out back into its belly.

After all this was done, under the Pure Land White Lotus, the cracks in the red lotus beneath Funeng's seat had been restored to normal.

Now the monk has regained all his skills, while Cao Xianlu is showing signs of decline.

"Tiger Devours!" Cao Xianlu's arms bulged with veins, and the incomplete phantom of the ghost tiger enveloped him again. Dense ghost energy rapidly poured into Cao Xianlu's body from his seven orifices, and soon, a layer of tiger-striped black armor covered the body of this battle-hardened warrior.

The eighteen halberd-wielding ghost soldiers roused themselves, howling as they charged forward in formation.

No matter how Cao Xianlu changed his appearance, Funeng remained completely calm. The monk composed himself, muttered, "What a murderous bastard!" He then flicked his finger and shouted, "Hum!"

The Pure Land White Lotus of Buddha's light reappeared, ruthlessly turning the ghost soldiers into ashes. Cao Xianlu himself was not spared either; the tiger-striped black armor that had been attached to his body was also destroyed by the Buddha's light, dissipating like the first snow or the blazing sun.

Even his incredibly strong physique couldn't protect him completely; his skin, flesh, and bones were cracked all over from the Buddha's light. Anyone with eyes could see that if Cao Xianlu continued fighting, he would likely not survive.

Even outsiders can see it clearly, let alone ourselves?

But this battle-hardened veteran gritted his teeth and endured for a while, fighting until no more ghostly energy could be emitted from his body, before finally crushing his iron teeth and swallowing them along with the blood.

Feeling the spiritual light clinging to the broken teeth scraping his intestines to shreds, Cao Xianlu regained a sliver of clarity amidst the intense pain from the inside out. He could no longer hold on; he spat out a mouthful of scalding blood and raised his hand in surrender.

"Damn it, I can't get my hands on the beast core!"

Sweat beaded on Funeng's forehead, his monk's robes soaked through. Fei Nanying, expressionless, lifted Cao Xianlu off the field and handed him over to the Ying Mountain Army officer for treatment before returning to the field, calmly declaring, "In this battle, Funeng wins!"

Having said that, he didn't even spare Funeng a moment's rest.

Fei Nanying ignored the sighs and groans of the onlookers and casually beckoned Kang Dabao, who should have been on high alert but was hiding in the crowd, to come close to him.

In an instant, countless eyes were fixed on this tall and imposing man.

After observing the eight formations, Juntian Bird hadn't uttered a single word to those facing off. However, he finally spoke, offering this advice. "Make it look good. If you win this battle, it might save you a hundred years of wasted effort!"

Kang Dabao respectfully agreed, bowed his head in gratitude, and then turned to look at the handsome monk with red lips and white teeth in the center of the room.

"Chongming Sect Kang Dabao Sect, greets fellow Daoist!"