Ever since the last incident, Lu Yuan had gone without a major battle for quite some time.
During this period, however, he had honed every aspect of himself to perfection. Though his cultivation realm remained unchanged, his strength had grown several times over.
Previously, Lu Yuan had only just entered the Great Saint Realm, but now he had reached its absolute peak. Under the mysterious destiny of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, his physical body and foundations were continually transforming.
Even he did not know what height he would reach once he went all out. Now, Xuan Ci of the Bliss Star Sector before him was the ideal opponent to put it to the test.
At this moment, Lu Yuan stepped forward, unleashing his aura without the slightest reservation.
Nearby, Zhu Qingyu, the other youths, and the Beast Kings did not hesitate. One by one, they began retreating, unwilling to linger too close.
The reason was simple: they all knew that neither King Lu nor the monk possessed strength that any of them could match at present. Lingering too close would easily leave them caught in the crossfire. As for who would emerge victorious once the battle began, none among the onlookers or mutated beasts harbored any doubts.
Rumble, rumble—
Soon, violent roaring sounds surged forth. Golden vital blood surged out of Lu Yuan like a raging torrent.
The aura radiating from him was astonishingly immense, shaking the vault of heaven. He was now at the absolute zenith of the Great Saint Realm, vastly different in every respect from how he had been before.
He was no novice to evolutionary power; his every move could sway mountains and rivers.
Just as now, when Lu Yuan unleashed his strength, the entire sky trembled. Fortunately, this was Mount Tai, and Mount Tai was fundamentally extraordinary, fully capable of bearing such immense might.
Opposite him, the monk named Xuan Ci was slightly shaken by the display.
Yet he did not retreat. Instead, he pressed his palms together. Chanting a Buddhist invocation, seven-colored Buddhist radiance surged from his body, and a lotus throne manifested beneath his feet. Bathed in golden light from head to toe, Xuan Ci looked like a true Vajra Buddha.
Compassion rested between his brows, and lotus blossoms drifted downward from above his head. The scene was thoroughly awe-inspiring, yet it also made one thing clear: Monk Xuan Ci was exceptionally formidable. The aura and presence he displayed brought suffocating pressure upon Zhu Qingyu, the Peacock King, and the others watching nearby.
In truth, even Lu Yuan could tell that Monk Xuan Ci was far stronger than the Great Saints he had faced in the past. If he guessed correctly, this monk would rank among the top five sequence prodigies in the Bliss Star Sector.
Still, it mattered not who he was. Lu Yuan paid it no mind; if the monk struck, he would answer.
"Amitabha. Benefactor, you still have a choice, in truth," Monk Xuan Ci spoke once more, his voice brimming with compassion.
At this moment, he seemed like an enlightened monk genuinely urging a lost soul to turn back from the abyss. The peculiar aura he exuded even led Ice Fairy and the others nearby to feel that his words made sense.
Indeed, the sensation came upon them abruptly and strangely. But when Lu Yuan sensed it, his eyes narrowed.
He took a step forward, his aura shuddering once more. "If you want to fight, then fight. If you pull any more petty tricks in secret, I will not be polite."
His voice was not particularly loud, but it carried a trace of killing intent that sent shivers straight through the soul.
Monk Xuan Ci finally realized this was likely pushing the man's bottom line. He promptly withdrew his subtle influence, turning his full focus to Lu Yuan.
He spoke no more. His expression shifted instantly from gentle benevolence to that of a wrathful Vajra.
Facing Lu Yuan without the slightest hesitation, he thrust a palm straight down.
Rumble!
Aside from a succession of deafening booms, the strike seemed to cause no change at first.
Yet immediately afterward, everyone looked up to see an immense hand materialize high in the firmament.
Golden and tens of thousands of zhang across, it descended like an ancient titan of a mountain. The sight inevitably reminded Zhu Qingyu and the others of the mythic image of blotting out the sky with a single hand.
Then, recalling that Monk Xuan Ci belonged to the Buddhist sect, they could not shake the feeling that he meant to crush King Lu beneath the Five Elements Mountain.
That mountain-like palm in particular exerted crushing pressure upon them all. Not just those nearby—the entire Mount Tai Trial Academy, its leadership, the ranks of the Heavenly Court, and the students all saw the giant hand, terror and disbelief spreading across their faces.
There was no helping it; the sight was simply too terrifying.
"Since you are using a Buddhist divine ability," Lu Yuan said, hovering in the void and watching the colossal palm with an unruffled expression, "I will not take unfair advantage. I shall use a supreme Buddhist divine ability as well."
His calm never wavered; if anything, a faint smile played at the corner of his lips. In the next moment, he slowly raised a hand.
There was no terrifying aura, nor were there astonishing spectacles. He simply reached out his hand.
Bzz, bzz, bzz—
Yet in that very instant, waves of chanting arose from the unseen void. Ancient temples and monasteries abruptly materialized.
Even more shocking was the sky above. Directly over that colossal hand, tier upon tier of heavens formed from clouds took shape. Upon every layer stood ranks of Vajras, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas, radiating boundless tiers of power.
It was as if an entire Buddha Kingdom had descended upon the mortal realm.
At this sight, Monk Xuan Ci was thoroughly astounded.
He discovered that the moment the Buddha Kingdom appeared, his own technique was drained to nothing in mere moments.
Even the power within his body was completely suppressed, impossible to unleash. This pure Buddhist land seemed to transcend all things; he had no power to resist it. Even fleeing was beyond his reach.
"Is this that supreme divine ability?" Xuan Ci murmured to himself. He had come here with a mission, knowing full well that the technique was one of Buddhism's supreme arts.
He had never imagined that someone outside the Buddhist fold could execute it to such a frightening degree.
Both of them were in the same realm, yet he was completely overwhelmed. In terms of ranking, Xuan Ci placed among the highest of the Bliss Star Sector's younger generation. In innate talent, combat prowess, and Dharma comprehension, he stood at the absolute pinnacle.
Yet now, he was crushed without contest... He could sense that if his opponent wished, his life could be taken at any moment.
Soon, however, the vast Buddha Kingdom and all its accompanying phenomena vanished. All the crushing pressure lifted instantly. Shaken to the core, Xuan Ci turned away and muttered, "I have lost."
Chapter 340