It really was a handgun—brand-new and vivid in detail. The moment he saw its shape, he instinctively knew how to use it, to say nothing of having reviewed Xu Wenwu's files beforehand.
Wei Yuan held the gun in his hand and racked the slide. With a crisp metallic clatter, a round was chambered.
Yet Wei Yuan suddenly felt something was amiss. Why would this gun be so new? When that previous figure had shot at him, the object in its hand had been a chunk of rusted iron whose shape was barely discernible—miles away from anything resembling "new."
He looked up abruptly and saw Bao Yun rushing toward him. Her mouth moved as though she were shouting frantically, yet Wei Yuan could not hear a single sound. He realized at once: something was wrong!
Wei Yuan instantly dropped the handgun and pressed his palm to the ground. Terrifying Dao power erupted like a volcano, violently blasting in all directions!
A ring of golden light expanded rapidly from beneath Wei Yuan's feet, but upon reaching ten zhang out, it seemed to hit an invisible boundary and began burning upward. In an instant, the golden flames surged overhead. A hemisphere ten zhang in radius formed around Wei Yuan, its interior filled entirely with blazing golden fire!
The raging golden flames possessed immense power, yet whatever made up that invisible hemispheric barrier managed to withstand Wei Yuan's full-strength immolation, melting away at an agonizingly slow pace.
Longying and the other dragon guards immediately knew something was wrong. Striking with all their might, countless flying swords bombarded the barrier, yet none could breach it.
Jun Weizhi and Han Li reacted as well, commanding their Dao soldiers to strike in unison. One after another, powerful Dao arts slammed into the barrier. Yet the barrier withstood every attack, refusing to yield in the short term.
Just as Bao Yun was about to dash into the supermarket, two dharma idol warriors grabbed her arms, preventing her from entering.
Gritting her teeth, Bao Yun let her pupils turn an abyss-like black. The two dharma idols instantly went blank-faced. Their hands remained locked in a gripping posture, but Bao Yun had already slipped free and darted into the supermarket.
Another bizarre domain descended, blanketing the entire supermarket and contending for control against the realm rules that originally governed this place. As the two sets of rules clashed, everything in the supermarket distorted into unspeakable shapes, including the invisible barrier enclosing Wei Yuan.
Under the influence of Bao Yun's Heavenly Demon Wondrous Idol, the barrier suddenly grew fragile. No longer able to withstand the golden flames burning within, countless golden fractures crawled across its surface before it shattered with a loud crack, sending fragments flying everywhere.
The golden flames erupted violently, sweeping across everything inside the supermarket. Disregarding friend or foe, the blast caused even Bao Yun's aura to plummet significantly.
Past the golden fire, Bao Yun finally caught sight of Wei Yuan. He was still down on one knee with his hand pressed to the earth, but beneath him was no longer solid ground. Instead, a gaping maw like a bottomless pit had opened up and was about to swallow him whole!
Wei Yuan looked up and saw Bao Yun. He signaled with his eyes that he was fine and urged her to get back to safety immediately. Before Wei Yuan could speak a word, he plunged into the giant maw and vanished without a trace.
Without hesitation, Bao Yun leaped into the air and threw herself into the giant maw!
The maw snapped shut and vanished immediately.
Longying and the other dharma idols froze in brief stupor, then snapped out of it as if waking from a dream; having lost Wei Yuan's control, their own wills had reasserted command. The sudden turn of events caught everyone flat-footed. Jun Weizhi cast a glance at Han Li, but Han Li's face was completely impassive, revealing nothing.
A moment later, Zhang Sheng arrived. She strode directly into the supermarket and surveyed the area closely. But with the interior scorched by golden fire, there was little left to discern.
Longying and the other dragon guards replayed the images they had witnessed. Having watched them, Zhang Sheng pondered in silence, then said after a moment, "The Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World is unaffected, so Wei Yuan's life should not be in immediate danger. Construct an outpost nearby at once to monitor the supermarket. No matter the cost, we must ensure the supermarket remains in plain sight at all times!"
Han Li and Longying sprang into action immediately, selecting a site, building the outpost, and setting up overlapping fields of fire.
Zhang Sheng, meanwhile, took the Demonic Blade and returned to the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. Seeing Zhang Sheng arrive, the Demonic Blade had initially been agitated and eager to pour out its grievances, but the instant Zhang Sheng gripped it, it felt as though it had fallen into an icy abyss, unable to utter a single word.
Once back in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Zhang Sheng called out, "Are you still here?"
An ordinary-looking young woman appeared before Zhang Sheng and asked, "Naturally. What are your orders?"
Zhang Sheng looked deeply at her and said, "Something happened to Wei Yuan. He was likely shifted to another point in time by some vengeful spirit or fierce ghost from that shattered domain, using resentment or a similar power. For now, his life is not in danger, but if this drags on, there's no telling."
The girl asked, "What should I do?"
Zhang Sheng looked at her. "You must be the Yin-Yang Dao Foundation from back then. Now that you have developed your own sentience, much of the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World is likely under your control as well. I need you now."
The girl looked slightly surprised, then melted away like water. From the water rose the true Maiden Yin-Yang. She bowed to Zhang Sheng and said, "Greetings, Teacher."
This time it was Zhang Sheng's turn to be slightly surprised. However, having no time to dwell on forms of address, she immediately commanded, "Time is of the essence. Erect an idol of Wei Yuan at once, then order at least ten thousand mortals to pray before it day and night, praying for his safe return.
"The mortals here possess true spirit and sentience, not mindless puppets, and their karmic ties to Wei Yuan run exceedingly deep. The incense aspiration power generated by their prayers can anchor Wei Yuan, preventing him from losing connection to this domain and the present time."
Maiden Yin-Yang remained impassive, like a true puppet, answering in an emotionless voice, "It is done."
Killing intent flickered in Zhang Sheng's eyes as she said slowly, "No matter how formidable a vengeful spirit is, it will always leave traces behind—be it resentment, obsession, or an anchoring vessel. I shall return to the palace at once to borrow an immortal treasure capable of suppressing vengeful spirits. Once I return, that will be the moment it scatters back into heaven and earth!"
Maiden Yin-Yang suddenly spoke: "There is an item that may help."
In the blink of an eye, the two appeared beneath the Red Lotus Bodhi Tree. Maiden Yin-Yang plucked a bodhi leaf and handed it to Zhang Sheng. "If merged with this leaf, that immortal treasure will exert tremendous suppression against vengeful spirits. In addition, there should be a suitable immortal treasure within the Great Precious Flower Pure Land."
Zhang Sheng gave her a deep look, not questioning how she knew of the Great Precious Flower Pure Land. Clasping the bodhi leaf, she vanished.
With her primordial spirit returned to her physical body, Zhang Sheng opened her right hand. Resting in her palm was indeed a bodhi leaf. She glanced at it, closed her hand, stepped out of her room, and soared into the sky on her sword, flying toward the main mountain of the Palace of Grand Beginning.
Even though Wei Yuan was not in mortal danger for the moment, what might happen if things dragged on was hard to say. Fortunately, that world had been utterly destroyed, its physical form gone, meaning the greatest power it could muster was the residual resentment left behind by the world's destruction. Meanwhile, Wei Yuan had cultivated orthodox Daoist arts since childhood. His Dao power was purest and most righteous, constantly renewing itself, far surpassing that of ordinary Dharma Idols—the perfect bane of resentment.
Even for a vengeful spirit at the culmination of Scenery Command, lacking complete methods, trying to obliterate Wei Yuan's primordial spirit would take a considerable amount of time and every trick in the book to have any hope of succeeding. Moreover, Wei Yuan was not the only one taken; Bao Yun had been swept in as well. Bao Yun's Heavenly Demon Wondrous Idol was exceedingly bizarre and elusive, making her an equally tough nut to crack.
In the short term, the vengeful spirit likely could not digest either of them. As long as Zhang Sheng returned to the sect in time and asked Patriarch Xuanyue to intervene and borrow an immortal treasure passed down by the ancestral immortals of the Palace of Grand Beginning, she could rescue Wei Yuan.
Not long after flying out of Qingming, Zhang Sheng felt a sudden premonition and halted. A young monk appeared before her. He looked quite young, well-built, yet possessing delicate, handsome features.
Seeing Zhang Sheng, the monk pressed his palms together in greeting. "My master divined that the female benefactor would pass through here, and specially dispatched me to await you."
Zhang Sheng did not lose her temper. "Who is your master?"
"My master is Venerable Jiaxiang of the Great Precious Flower Pure Land."
Zhang Sheng replied coolly, "For the Great Precious Flower Pure Land to intercept a disciple of the Palace of Grand Beginning, what is your intention? Or do you believe the Great Precious Flower Pure Land is already fit to be the supreme immortal sect?"
The monk said serenely, "Master bears no ill intent. He merely wishes to invite the female benefactor to sit before the Buddha's seat and listen to three days of sermon and scripture. This is a tremendous karmic opportunity, one this humble monk has sought in vain for many years. Once the discourse is concluded, we will respectfully see the female benefactor off, without harming a single hair on your head. As for how much insight the female benefactor might glean from Master's teachings, that will depend entirely upon you."
Zhang Sheng's brow twitched faintly. "Has the Great Master mistaken me for someone else?"
"There is no mistake. Master bade this humble monk await Benefactor Zhang Sheng here at this very moment, and have you not arrived?"
Zhang Sheng asked indifferently, "And what if I refuse to go?"
"A tremendous karmic opportunity is naturally something the benefactor should be urged to accept. Should the female benefactor remain obstinate, this humble monk also knows a little about martial arts."
Zhang Sheng stood with her hands clasped behind her back, faint sword qi rising from her. She said slowly, "I have never heard of any extraordinary talent emerging from the Great Precious Flower Pure Land in my generation. With such Buddhist radiance about you, and your facial aspect and bodily aspect beginning to detach—showing signs of cultivating the dual life aspect—someone of such attainment cannot be young, surely?"
High as the monk's cultivation was, a trace of anger surfaced on his face. "This monk is Jingmo, currently a guardian vajra of the Pure Land. In seniority, I should be three generations your elder."
In the Great Precious Flower Pure Land, "Vajra" was the title given to monks at the Dharma Idol realm, while Scenery Command monks were titled "Arhat." These were honorary titles, not actual karmic attainments.
Now that the monk had stated his name, Zhang Sheng replied, "So it is Great Master Jingmo. The Great Master's name... I have never heard of it. Please step aside, Great Master. Otherwise, harming the harmony between our sects is a small matter, but damaging your foundation would be a grave one."
Buddhist light gradually rose from Jingmo as he chanted a Buddhist epithet: "The female benefactor has a sharp tongue. This poor monk is left with no choice but to resort to subduing demons. Once the female benefactor accompanies me back, you will surely appreciate my master's painstaking kindness..."
Before the monk could finish, dense sword qi suddenly filled his vision. Countless immortal swords manifested at the exact same moment, then closed in like lotus petals!
Jingmo was greatly startled. His sight was entirely consumed by azure sword light, falling upon him like spring mist and rain, soft threads so gentle they were almost imperceptible. Yet as each thread of rain descended, the Buddhist light around him shuddered violently!
A gigantic sword lotus bloomed, then snapped shut, enclosing the monk within. The tips of every lotus petal bristled with azure sword qi!
Boundless Buddhist radiance suddenly burst from the sword lotus, shattering it. Jingmo sprang out from the sword qi, his entire body gleaming with blinding golden light as he revealed his dharma idol golden body. Yet several spots on his golden form were dull in color, showing distinct signs of battering and decay.
Zhang Sheng had unleashed a killing strike from the start, all two hundred and fifty-six immortal swords infused with the full might of Azure Silk Rain. Monk Jingmo had never imagined her attack would carry such terrifying power. Desperately pushing his Buddhist power, he had still been half a beat too slow to bring it to its peak. With one erupting at full strength and the other caught off guard, the disparity left the monk severely wounded in a single clash, his dharma idol foundation damaged.
From afar came Zhang Sheng's voice: "Senior, please return and rest well. In eight to ten years, you should be fully recovered."
Her voice sounded serene and distant, as though her Dao power remained completely unspent.
Monk Jingmo's brows bristled in fury, and he started forward to pursue her, but several more dark blemishes suddenly surfaced across his golden body. Stamping his foot in frustration, he had no choice but to depart in bitter resentment.
Chapter 757