Xu Henshui, Xiaoyu, Feng Chutang, or... Wang Hu?
Name after name flitted through Bao Yun's mind. Whichever one it was, each carried a shock from an entirely different perspective.
Originally, Wang Hu had not even been on this list. Yet the moment she thought of his avatar within the Splendor of the Many Realms, she had not only added him to the list, but had even intended to place him near the top. Only when she recalled what Wang Hu looked like in reality did she hesitate and push him to the very end.
At that moment, a grim, chilling vision of hell abruptly unfolded, transforming more than half of the battlefield into a desolate, freezing Asura hell. Here lay only barren stone mountains, utterly devoid of life or spiritual vigor, causing the might of divine powers and Dao arts to be heavily suppressed.
This was the Desolate Asura True Realm of Wisdom King Zhenyu. It forcefully bent the battlefield's environment to its will, not only suppressing the domains of the other Wisdom Kings into nothingness, but also leaving Shanle barely able to rely on his third-layer Bodhisattva status within the Sea of Bitterness to maintain a few yards of Buddhist radiance around himself, saving him from utter humiliation.
From this, it was clear that Zhenyu was terrifyingly formidable, pulling a full rank ahead of Dakini-Flame and Kundali. A Bodhisattva like Shanle, unversed in combat, would likely be no match for him even if three or four joined forces.
Yet the elegant noble locked in battle against him did not fall behind in the slightest.
All great power resided within the young noble himself. Externally, he met Zhenyu blow for blow with an unimaginably sturdy dharma body; internally, bolstered by his exceedingly lofty status, he endured the invasive fury of the Asura purgatory head-on. The moment Zhenyu's purgatorial power entered his body, it was directly refined away, allowing the young noble to unleash his divine powers and Dao arts without their potency suffering even a trace of discount. Moreover, with every casual gesture, he conjured myriad scenes of the world, blasting out powerful Dao arts one after another as though they cost nothing, violently bombarding the Asura purgatory.
Zhenyu's Desolate Asura True Realm was originally best suited for suppression; even Bodhisattva Shanle, who retained an immortal-tier status within the Sea of Bitterness, had been suppressed by him to the point where his Buddhist flames were nearly snuffed out. Yet it failed to suppress this elegant noble in the slightest. It was plain to see that in inherent status, Zhenyu was still half a step behind.
The two clashed with earth-shattering fury, while Bao Yun, watching from afar, crossed names off her list one by one.
Xu Henshui? His status wasn't high enough.
Xiaoyu? He had the affected pretentiousness, but his dharma body fell short by a mile.
Feng Chutang? His status was sufficient, but his dharma body was similarly lacking; even if his Nether Dragon form were fully manifested, it couldn't possibly be this absurd.
Wang Hu... was also impossible. This elegant noble was far too proper; he wasn't shameless enough.
In the blink of an eye, every name had been crossed off, leaving an impossible candidate floating to the surface of Bao Yun's heart. Now biased by this thought, the more she looked, the more she felt it was true—this person was almost certainly Wei Yuan himself!
Bao Yun's eyes shifted from shock to profound contemplation. How had this fellow gotten in? Had he worshipped himself? That wasn't something achieved through a few casual bows; one had to strengthen karmic ties under an appropriate ritual and revere the subject from the bottom of one's heart before the rite could succeed.
In that split second, countless thoughts flashed through Bao Yun's mind. Skipping past a chaotic pile of wild speculations, she finally arrived at a single conclusion: this fellow was genuinely narcissistic to an astounding degree! Had he fallen short in self-love by even the slightest margin, his true body could never have crossed over!
With Wei Yuan entering in his true body, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.
Zhenyu was indeed absurdly strong, but the one present was merely a Wisdom King avatar; his true body could not leave the Sea of Bitterness. Furthermore, this avatar of Zhenyu clearly held no high standing within the Sea of Bitterness, receiving far less empowerment than Shanle. Bao Yun estimated that his chances of even reaching the second layer were slim; he was most likely lingering on the first layer, just like Wei Yuan.
Strictly speaking, Wei Yuan only had a single head bobbing in the first layer right now, so his additional status was slightly inferior to Zhenyu's. However, that slight deficit in Sea of Bitterness empowerment was utterly crushed by the supreme standing of Wei Yuan's several great grotto-heavens.
A cultivator's status was an aggregation of their innate status, realm status, and supplementary status from external realms. Yet it was no simple sum, but rather a profoundly intricate fusion. Buddhist cultivators had to add another layer of fruition status on top of that.
Thus, Shanle possessed the dual empowerments of a Bodhisattva seat and the third layer of the Sea of Bitterness, opening a gap of three entire tiers in broad realm. Yet his Buddha land was still suppressed into a wretched state by Zhenyu, who held only an Arhat seat on the first layer. This showed just how vast the gap was between their innate standings.
Had they clashed in Immortal Heaven, Shanle would certainly have crumbled at the first touch.
Hence, the longer the battle raged, the clearer the elegant noble's identity became. An innate status high enough to comfortably overpower Zhenyu, a dharma body robust enough to chew on spirit treasures raw, and a demeanor both endlessly pretentious and completely shameless—it could only be Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan was fighting an avatar with his true body. Across the contemporary world, precious few avatars of immortals could withstand Wei Yuan's assault.
By this point, the overall battle held no suspense. Dakini-Flame and Kundali had been driven into a corner; their defeat was merely a matter of time. The remaining Wisdom Kings had all been swept away by a single stroke of Zhang Sheng's sword, while the leftover Vajra Mighty Warriors were scattered in disarray, hunted down by Tuoba Hong and the newly elevated believers to amass merit.
The Vajra Mighty Warriors still burned with fierce arrogance, fighting to the death without giving ground. In their minds, surrender was never an option.
Yet their opponents had completely changed. Glistening ripples of water light rose from the bodies of the believers. Wounds healed with astonishing speed, and spells aimed at suppression, karmic shaving, or soul grinding were rapidly washed away by the water light, their effectiveness severely crippled.
Wei Yuan's Spring of Longevity produced exceptional results.
Had these believers not belonged to foreign devils, the Vajra Mighty Warriors would have suspected that the Bodhisattva of Immeasurable Clear Light was backing them with divine blessings. In short, believers with light injuries never left the front lines, healing even as they fought. Those gravely wounded were dragged to the rear, and after lying down for just a short while, their conditions downgraded to minor injuries; they would roll back to their feet, charge into the fray, and heal completely after fighting a bit longer.
Tuoba Hong was encircled by a spiraling stream that bestowed clear sight, restoration, a tranquil mind, and a steady soul. He darted back and forth across the lines, trading blow for blow; in the blink of an eye, he had already slain several Vajras and countless mighty warriors.
Most of these Vajra Mighty Warriors belonged to Shanle's retinue. Yet chills swept through Shanle's heart wave after wave, leaving him no time to grieve his losses.
Shanle could not comprehend how the battle had suddenly devolved into this. He had clearly crossed the sea with overwhelming force, but these foreign devils proved far craftier, producing so many monstrous combatants out of nowhere. Even if the Bodhisattva of Immeasurable Clear Light had personally overseen the opening of this campaign, the momentum might not have matched this.
Watching the battle for another moment, Shanle finally reached his limit and called out to Zhenyu, who was still locked in vicious combat, "This body of mine is a Bodhisattva avatar and must not fall into the hands of foreign devils. Find a way to hold them off. I will depart first... to fetch reinforcements."
Zhenyu said nothing, merely casting a cold glance in Shanle's direction.
Shanle was suddenly seized by anger and snapped peevishly, "This Wisdom King form of yours didn't come from a noble background to begin with; losing it is no great loss! If it can save my Bodhisattva form, wouldn't that bring you an extra measure of merit?"
Before Shanle could finish his thought, the elegant noble chuckled softly and finished it for him: "Indeed, what a splendid opportunity! It's just the thing to elevate your humble roots! Fellow Daoist Zhenyu, to die for a Bodhisattva is your highest honor! I advise you to seize this great fortune without delay—don't refuse face when it's given!"
Though this was merely an avatar of Zhenyu, two thick veins throbbed on his temple upon hearing these words.
Shanle was equally shocked and enraged, nearly losing control of his facial expression and shattering his solemn composure. He glared furiously at the young noble. Though he had meant precisely that, why did it sound so grating to the ear when spoken aloud?
As the elegant noble spoke, he dodged six searing beams of light shooting from Zhenyu's eyes and kicked apart a thousand-zhang spike erupting from the earth. Then, facing several hideous, terrifying phantoms of demon-subduing Wisdom Kings pouncing from the air, he neither dodged nor deflected, allowing them to plunge straight into his sea of consciousness.
Not a single Wisdom King phantom returned; all vanished without a ripple.
Even in the thick of fierce combat, the young noble kept his hands clasped behind his back, the smile on his face never wavering as he continued to advise Zhenyu: "Zhenyu, I'm only saying this for your own good. Why haven't you seized this fortune yet? What are you waiting for?
"Could it be that you look down on a third-layer Bodhisattva? Do you think his standing is too low, and with your dignity, you should only die for one from the sixth or seventh layer?
"Oh, you... no wonder you've been dawdling on the first layer for all these years! Is a third-layer Bodhisattva not a Bodhisattva? Is he not worthy of your sacrifice? Let me tell you, a Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva. While there are ranks among them, that's their own internal business. It has nothing to do with an old Arhat like you who has neither backing nor future, unable to make a name for yourself in thousands of years!
"Even if you died for a Bodhisattva of the sixth or seventh layer, they probably wouldn't even know who you were. But if you offend a third-layer Bodhisattva, he will remember you for the rest of his life!"
Chapter 1270