Across the Sea of Bitterness, several treasure ships cut through the wind and waves, crawling along like turtles.
The Sea of Bitterness was no true sea, nor were distances here akin to ordinary distances in the mortal world. What appeared to be a mere few paces away might in fact be a solitary li, or perhaps tens of thousands of li. Moreover, displaying great might within the Sea of Bitterness was exceedingly difficult; for these treasure ships to chart a course through the ever-shifting currents of karma was already considered remarkably swift.
Wei Yuan looked toward the vessels and saw that the central treasure ship was several times larger than the others. Three towering pillars of aura surged skyward, propelling the colossal craft as it cleaved the waves.
Judging by this display—several times grander than the last—Wei Yuan knew they intended to completely erase his trace in the Sea of Bitterness and crush the Heaven of Joy and Bliss back down. Yet now, the Heaven of Joy and Bliss was not merely a Buddhist land; it was the core of the Qingming Daoist Court's framework. Furthermore, multiple future plans relied on the omnipresent nature of the Sea of Bitterness, so failure was not an option. These Bodhisattvas had entirely underestimated Wei Yuan’s resolve to stake everything on a single throw.
Several smaller treasure ships arrived around Wei Yuan first. Land then manifested beneath their hulls, connecting with the stretch of the Sea of Bitterness under Wei Yuan's control to form patch after patch of battlefield.
These battlegrounds swiftly coalesced into one. With the arrival of the central treasure ship, the expanse of the battlefield expanded abruptly, enclosing Wei Yuan's entire dharma body within it! Ranks of Vajra Mighty Warriors disembarked from the ships. They did not rush to attack; instead, they first formed up in formation, after which more mighty warriors hauled down all manner of magical artifacts and precious implements, fortifying a ring of defensive positions around the vessels.
This reinforced land served as both a battlefield and an anchor stone to pin down the Heaven of Joy and Bliss, preventing Wei Yuan from fleeing with it.
Aboard the central treasure ship, Zhenyu—still dressed as an ordinary, rough-hewn rustic—watched the sacred statues driven into the earth and sneered, "You didn't run when you had the chance; it's too late to regret it now!"
To his left and right stood two Wisdom Kings, both silent, commanding awe without anger.
These two Wisdom Kings clearly held exceptional status. Instead of standing alongside the other Wisdom Kings, they stood together with Zhenyu at the prow, looking down from on high across the entire battlefield. Behind their eyes were the eyes of two Bodhisattvas.
Shanle stood at the prow as well, turning his head to ask, "Do we begin now?"
Zhenyu nodded. Only then did Shanle sweep out a swath of Buddhist radiance that rolled toward the interior in overlapping layers. A few stray believers wandering across the land were swept by this light and instantly stood dazed in their tracks, countless thoughts churning in their minds as Shanle began forcibly delivering them to his fold.
Just then, hills began rising one after another in the interior, making the terrain roll and ripple. On a foremost peak, the figure of the youth Tuoba Hong appeared. Gathering his breath, he bellowed in a ringing voice, "Outsider fiends hold sway in the Sea of Bitterness! Today, we shall slay the demons, subdue the fiends, and earn tremendous merit!"
His voice boomed with immense clarity, reverberating across the boundless battlefield. Behind the youth, countless figures materialized and shouted in unison, their battle intent soaring!
Over by the treasure ship, Shanle laughed out of sheer fury. "We have become outsider fiends? Haha, what a farce! Why don't they take a look at their own Mirage Demons—what they look like, what virtue they possess! If those aren't fiends and demons, what else in this world is?"
Shanle cursed, but found no response from anyone around him. Looking left and right, he realized he had lost his composure. Yet his Heaven of Joy and Bliss had been destroyed at the hands of those Mirage Demons; such an obsession was not so easily dispelled.
At that moment, Zhenyu raised a hand and pointed forward. Over a hundred tattered believers who quarried the mountains leapt down from the ship, each leading a squad of Vajra Mighty Warriors as they charged in separate columns toward Tuoba Hong.
Seeing the enemy close in, Tuoba Hong let out a loud roar. Amid his shout, the believers behind him suddenly scattered in all directions, fleeing deep into the interior. Shanle was taken aback, unable to make sense of it.
Zhenyu cast a calm glance at him and said, "He is luring the enemy in deep, hoping to make us disperse our forces so they can mass and wipe them out."
"Then what should we do?" Shanle blurted in a daze.
Zhenyu remained impassive. Not only was his expression blank, but even his eyes held not the slightest trace of mockery. In a deep voice, he said, "This is the most basic art of war. But they have forgotten that Vajra Mighty Warriors are neither mortals nor low-level cultivators; they have no concept of morale. Therefore, no matter how the fight unfolds, it will ultimately be a war of attrition, and we have more than enough numbers to wear them to death. So, do you mind losing a few Vajra Mighty Warriors?"
Shanle caught on and chanted a Buddhist proclamation. "In suppressing outsider fiends, casualties are inevitable. Having attained merit, they too may ascend early to the Ultimate Bliss."
Zhenyu muttered in a low voice, "Ascend early to the Ultimate Bliss... They'd be better off quarrying mountains for me."
Shanle pretended not to hear.
He quickly adjusted his deployment. With a broad wave of his hand, countless Vajra Mighty Warriors split into numerous squads and charged into the interior, accompanied by several Wisdom Kings bringing up the rear to hold the line. The remaining warriors carried down sacred statues from the treasure ships and began constructing temples on the spot, advancing step by step into the interior to forcibly deliver all the karma anchored in the land.
In the center of the battlefield, Wei Yuan's dharma body slowly opened its eyes. Gazing upon the Pure Land army that had now successfully dispersed, he murmured, "We may begin."
In a secluded spot within the Heaven of Joy and Bliss stood a makeshift little temple. Wei Yuan sat upright inside and said, "We may begin."
Standing across from him, Bao Yun gave a faint smile and replied, "Coming."
She knelt gracefully and actually bowed down before Wei Yuan. But as her head lowered, Wei Yuan's Desolate Roar began to regress drastically.
"Wait, not like that!"
Only then did Bao Yun let out a soft laugh. Her figure gradually faded and then appeared upon the battlefield.
She had assumed the guise of a dark-skinned village woman with coarse hands, large feet, and a sturdy build. She raised her hands and rubbed them vigorously; they still felt sleek and supple, unmistakably her own, merely disguised beneath a thin membrane of skin.
"It actually works? Incredible!" Bao Yun couldn't help but marvel.
At this moment, she had effectively donned a thin outer layer while remaining truly herself inside. This was entirely different from descending via possession—she had arrived on the battlefield in her true body! That thin layer was merely a disguise, a means to deceive the Sea of Bitterness. Ordinarily, ordinary magic treasures could never achieve such a feat, but Wei Yuan had drawn upon the Lunar power of his grotto-heaven. The Lunar power excelled in concealment and transmutation, enough to fool Heaven and Earth.
Then Wei Yuan had Bao Yun worship him, thereby forging a grand karmic bond of devotion, through which he delivered her true body onto the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Wisdom Kings from the Pure Land were merely descended dharma bodies, capable of exerting only Scenery Command strength. Believing that Wei Yuan possessed at most Dharma Idol cultivators at his disposal, they were bound to suffer dearly when ambushed by Bao Yun, who was already at the perfection of Dharma Idol.
Before Bao Yun had even grown accustomed to her new guise, a Vajra happened to appear nearby, raising a massive foot and stomping straight down toward her.
Bao Yun had little interest in such minor fare. With a casual push of her palm, she sent the gargantuan Vajra flying through the air. It crashed to the ground, crushing several mighty warriors to death, while she set her sights on the nearest Wisdom King.
Sensing something amiss, that Wisdom King turned his head, his gaze meeting Bao Yun's. In an instant, Bao Yun's pupils turned into bottomless abysses. The phantom of a heavenly fiend plummeted from above and plunged straight into the Wisdom King's body. The Wisdom King instantly froze, every movement grinding to a halt as struggle flickered within his several water-vat-sized eyes.
Bao Yun snatched a massive battle-ax from the hands of a nearby mighty warrior and leaped into the air. Her petite frame swung the battle-ax—taller than she was—and brought it hacking brutally into the Wisdom King. Blood cascaded outward like a waterfall!
A gaping wound over ten feet deep was cleaved into the Wisdom King's shoulder. His arm instantly slumped, bereft of strength, grievously wounded on the spot.
Yet the Wisdom King's physique was enormous; this cut had merely sliced through less than half his shoulder and was not yet fatal. Midair, Bao Yun spun around and suddenly accelerated her plunge, dragging the great ax across the Wisdom King's back to leave a long wound cut deep to the bone!
Upon landing, Bao Yun whipped the ax around in a reverse arc, severing nearly half of the Wisdom King's ankle.
All the while, this Wisdom King stood blankly without the slightest reaction, letting Bao Yun butcher him as she pleased. Formidable though his dharma body was, it could not withstand endless dismemberment. Just as Bao Yun prepared to chop off his foot entirely, a warning surged in her heart, and she sprang backward at once.
Another Wisdom King appeared soundlessly. Far taller than an ordinary Wisdom King, he held a massive bronze vase, from which he poured a stream of clear water over the grievously wounded Wisdom King.
Drenched by the clear water, a shrill shriek erupted from within the wounded Wisdom King's body. The phantom of the heavenly fiend flew out; but as it attempted to flee, the clear water clinging to it burst into violent flames, incinerating it to ash.
Only then did the wounded Wisdom King regain consciousness. With a muffled grunt, blood geysered from his wounds, yet under the continuous wash of the clear water, the injuries rapidly knit together.
Recognizing the vase-holding Wisdom King behind him, he disregarded his wounds and hastily offered a salute. "My thanks, Bright Sovereign Kundali."
Kundali merely nodded slightly and continued pouring the spring water. As for why that Wisdom King had suddenly lost his senses, he had understood the moment he saw the phantom of the heavenly fiend. When a heavenly fiend invaded the body, the victim invariably saw whatever they desired most, unable to extricate themselves.
Seeing Kundali appear, Bao Yun showed no fear whatsoever, her face eager for a fight. Just as she was about to strike, another warning flared in her heart.
A massive bladed spear plummeted from the heavens, viciously piercing her body and pinning her to the ground! Yet that figure promptly dissolved as a heavenly fiend illusion flickered away, while Bao Yun reappeared in the distance.
The one who had attacked was a Wisdom King of utter ferocity, resembling a demon. Standing twice as tall as an ordinary Wisdom King, he was crimson all over, and purgatory black flames blazed across his four arms. This was none other than the Dakini-Flame Wisdom King, also known as the Yaksha Demon-Burning Wisdom King.
Confronted by two great Wisdom Kings—Dakini-Flame and Kundali—Bao Yun put aside her playful mood, preparing to take the fight seriously.
"I smell the stench of an outsider fiend! You are no believer at all—you belong in the Avici Hell!" Dakini-Flame waved a massive hand, summoning the bladed spear flying back into his grasp as he strode forward in great strides.
Numerous heavenly fiend phantoms manifested around Bao Yun, each identical to her true body. They suddenly scattered in all directions like hamsters scampering across the floor, leaving the towering Dakini-Flame momentarily unsure of which one to pursue. Even with his dharma eyes, he could not see through the phantoms she released.
Yet before Bao Yun could unleash her killing move, a short, plump old man suddenly materialized. Flying in from the flank like a cannonball, he slammed violently into the Dakini-Flame Wisdom King!
With a tremendous boom, this exceptionally massive Wisdom King was sent flying by the terrifying force!
A cloud of black mist then erupted from the short old man's body, engulfing the Yaksha Wisdom King's head. That Wisdom King immediately struggled desperately, even pounding his own head incessantly, but to no avail. Not a single sound escaped the black mist; only blood, minced flesh, eyeballs, and ears constantly splattered out. Seeing that cloud of black mist, Bao Yun's pupils contracted.
Right on the heels of that, however, she saw an ordinary-looking man abruptly appear above the Kundali Wisdom King's head. The man cast out countless ribbons of light that formed an immensely intricate structure, directly enveloping the Kundali Wisdom King within it.
Kundali and the space around him vanished completely, as though severed from this piece of heaven and earth.
Bao Yun's pupils contracted once more. Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "Did those two... get in the same way?"
Yet gritting her teeth changed nothing. Bao Yun was a full major realm behind them after all; when it came to snatching prey, she was no match for Feng Tingyu and Ji Liuli. She was merely uneasy about how on earth they had managed to get in.
Since she couldn't beat them to it, what about the other Wisdom Kings...?
Bao Yun looked across the field, only to find that the remaining Wisdom Kings were already gone.
In the brief moment Bao Yun had been distracted, several sword lights as fine as drizzling rain and colored azure sky had appeared. Utterly unassuming, they sliced casually through the air, packing up and sweeping away the remaining Wisdom Kings in one clean stroke.
"Huh???" Bao Yun's eyes immediately turned dark and profound, blazing with intense curiosity. "Could it be that she...?"
Fortunately, there was still the Karma Zhenyu Wisdom King aboard the treasure ship. This one was clearly far more formidable, and Bao Yun had no confidence in defeating him. Yet at this point, beggars couldn't be choosers; she could only see if she might snatch some scraps.
Just as Bao Yun was about to charge the ship, a handsome young noble of tall stature, lavish attire, and peerless grace suddenly appeared behind Zhenyu. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he planted a gentle palm strike squarely between Zhenyu's shoulder blades.
Zhenyu roared in fury, wheeling around to clash with the elegant noble, instantly embroiling the two in a vicious brawl!
At the sight of this, Bao Yun's eyes went wide. She subconsciously clapped a hand over her mouth, nearly crying out in shock: "How did he get in? What... what on earth did he do?!"
Chapter 1269