The sacred, majestic presence of the Buddha's manifestation before him was so vivid and flawless that it was virtually the appearance of a living Buddha in this mortal world!
Even with Holy Monk Baojia's mind as unshakeable as a mountain and unflinching though the heavens might fall, his eyes widened in utter disbelief.
At the same time, with the appearance of the Buddha phantom, the chanting of ten thousand monks that had originally permeated his spiritual world abruptly ceased.
Billions of golden lotuses tilted slightly toward the Buddha of their own accord, as though bowing in devout homage.
"Baojia."
A resonant, majestic voice exploded in Holy Monk Baojia's mind, causing his entire body to shudder.
In the void, the Buddha slowly raised his right hand. The fingers were slender, elongated, and without a single blemish, a hazy radiance gathering at their tips. His gaze remained benevolent and peaceful as he looked down at Holy Monk Baojia, who stood stiff as a statue of clay or wood.
"Your Chan heart is not yet steadfast, and your wisdom eye is not yet clear. All that you see is illusion; all that you grasp is empty. Go into the cycle of reincarnation, experience extreme agony and extreme bliss, see through the vanity of illusions, and only then resume your cultivation."
As the words fell, that fingertip gently tapped forward. In an instant, a dazzling, brilliant light burst forth, eclipsing all of Holy Monk Baojia's vision and plunging him into total darkness.
Whoosh—
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself crawling across a boundless, desolate desert. Above him, a scorching sun blazed in the sky; beneath him, the sand was scalding hot, while his belly churned with unbearable hunger and thirst.
Then, scarcely ten feet ahead of him, a pool of clear spring water welled up from nowhere. The water rippled, exuding a sweet, refreshing mist. Without a second thought, he lunged forward several steps and cupped his hands to scoop up the sweet water. Yet the instant his palms touched it, the clear spring instantly crumbled into dry sand.
Farther away, another spring emerged. Swallowing dryly, he scrambled forward again, bending over to scoop the water, but just as before, it transformed into sand.
Even farther away, water appeared yet again...
The more he thirsted for water, the less he could obtain it.
Whoosh—
After striving hundreds and thousands of times for water in vain, the scenery shifted abruptly. He found himself within an opulent palace surrounded by wondrous music, heavenly maidens, and fine nectars—everything within arm's reach.
Whatever he desired was fulfilled the very next moment. There was no need for restraint; the buoyant, all-forgetting bliss nearly dragged him into complete indulgence.
Whoosh—
The vision changed again.
This time, he lived an entire mortal life: crying at birth, bitter years of studying by cold windows, passing the imperial examinations, entering the bridal chamber, navigating the ups and downs of an official career, and being surrounded by children and grandchildren...
The agony of parting from those he loved, the torment of meeting those he hated, the sorrow of wanting what he could never obtain.
All these emotions and attachments of ordinary mortals coiled around his heart.
Before his sickbed, his aging wife clung to his hand in sorrow, and the weeping of his offspring lingered in his ears. From his lips drifted a long, weary sigh.
Crack—
The vision shattered like a mirror, and he plunged into illusion after illusion.
Becoming a beast, falling into hell, rising as a celestial being, walking the dust of the mortal realm... Countless illusions intertwined, leaving his consciousness increasingly bewildered.
Who am I?
A celestial, or a mortal?
A beast, or a hungry ghost?
So many identities and experiences blurred his perception of himself.
He knew not how much time had passed—whether an instant or an eternity.
The endless illusions of reincarnation receded like a tide.
As bright daylight entered his eyes, Holy Monk Baojia snapped back to reality. His legs gave out, and with a thud, he slumped onto the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He lifted his head, his face somewhat pale. Propping himself up, he unsteadily rose to his feet and pressed his palms together toward Huang Tian. "Many thanks, Benefactor Huang."
This gratitude was twofold: first, because had Huang Tian not spared him, he might have continued to sink deeper into reincarnation, with unimaginable consequences; second, after undergoing thousands of reincarnations, he faintly felt a deeper comprehension of both the Buddhist Dharma and the martial path ahead. Thus, he voiced his thanks from the heart.
Huang Tian smiled faintly and gave a slight nod.
In Holy Monk Baojia's eyes, this gesture mirrored the nod given by the living Buddha in his spiritual world moments earlier. His heart shook. Bowing once more, he said, "This poor monk admits defeat and shall step aside."
With a light tap of his toes, he leaped into the clouds, sitting amidst the drifting white vapor alongside Perfected Sanmiao, who had just scrambled out from the collapsed mountain in disarray.
"What... what just happened? Why did the Holy Monk surrender before they even fought?" Outside the mountain range, several martial artists looked completely baffled.
All they had seen was Holy Monk Baojia chant a Buddhist invocation, freeze on the spot, shudder violently after a few breaths, collapse to the ground, and then stand back up to concede defeat. It seemed utterly bizarre.
"What in the world happened? I couldn't follow that at all!"
"They must have clashed already—divine intent! Yes! It was definitely a contest of divine intent!"
"Indeed, their divine intents clashed, and in the end, Holy Monk Baojia lost!"
As several sharp-eyed Grandmasters explained, the gathered martial artists came to a sudden realization. So it had been a clash of divine intent—no wonder they hadn't seen anything. Once they understood, their expressions turned grave.
After all, from the moment Huang Tian claimed he would fight Yin Fenghai and the other four all at once, only moments had passed, yet Perfected Sanmiao and Holy Monk Baojia had already fallen one after another. Both had been defeated in an instant, entirely unable to retaliate!
This stark contrast laid bare just how terrifying Huang Tian's strength truly was!
Atop the summit, fierce winds blew, whipping the robes of those remaining.
Wan Shenyang said in a deep voice, "Brother Huang's strength is indeed extraordinary. If I fought you alone, I would certainly be no match."
He was remarkably forthright in admitting his inferiority.
Fu Yunjue said nothing, slowly drawing his saber from its sheath.
The blade was dark crimson, the exact shade of Xiahou Yang's former treasure saber.
Yin Fenghai glanced at the two of them without a word. Tapping his foot lightly, he flew onto the back of the white crane circling high above.
On the summit, only Huang Tian and the other two remained.
Whoosh—
An invisible aura expanded in all directions. The wind turned faint and thin, nearly freezing still. Across the dozens of li of mountains, an eerie silence settled: vegetation drooped, beasts trembled, and from deep within the dense forest, only the solitary cry of a bird echoed from far away before being instantly smothered by the pervading aura.
"Fellow Daoist Huang, take care."
With that warning, Wan Shenyang withdrew a pair of maces from beneath his fiery red robe. He held them inverted. The maces were ancient and unadorned, lacking any fancy embellishments, yet in the next instant, they suddenly blazed with blinding light.
That light was as resplendent as a great sun descending to the mortal world. Waves of heat swept outward with a roar; the plants beneath his feet charred to ash in an instant, sending up wisps of black smoke, while the rocks scorched black.
Clang!
The moment Wan Shenyang finished speaking, Fu Yunjue struck first. Gripping his saber with one arm, the dark-crimson blade hummed violently as its light surged, transforming in an instant into a dark-crimson blood rainbow spanning heaven and earth!
Wherever the blade edge passed, a prolonged fissure was carved through the air. The blade qi did not scatter, remaining tightly bound to the saber, yet its terrifying aura left everyone breathless, feeling as though the strike was aimed straight for their own throats!
Merely an instant later, Wan Shenyang crossed his twin maces and shot upward with a bang, bringing them crashing down toward Huang Tian's head!
Glancing upward, one could see Wan Shenyang's maces erupting with heat pushed to the absolute extreme, like two blazing suns plummeting down!
The air popped and crackled from the scorching heat. Before the maces even landed, the ground below melted instantly, turning into a crater churned with boiling magma. Blistering shockwaves blew outward in a ring, igniting all nearby trees and boulders into raging flames!
Two attacks.
One like a rainbow cleaving the heavens!
The other like a scorching sun crashing down!
Facing them both, Huang Tian remained calm and composed. He took half a step forward with his left foot, anchoring his stance firmly, and drew his arms back to strike in unison.
Raising his left palm with fingers joined, a crisp, platinum radiance flashed along the edge of his hand. That light was like a blade!
Like a heavenly blade!
The blade intent was magnificent, hanging high like the Heavenly Dao itself, slicing down straight toward the dark-crimson blood rainbow that tore through the world!
Hum—
The two blade lights collided abruptly in midair, then completely shattered, turning into tens of thousands of sharp edge-rays—some frosty white, some dark crimson—that splattered and shot madly in every direction!
Sssss!
As the blade rays swept past, the upper half of a distant mountain peak was neatly sheared off and slid diagonally downward. In a dense forest, countless towering trees were snapped at the trunk in swaths!
Crisscrossing deep trenches tore across the terrain, leaving the earth in ruins.
At almost the exact moment his left palm chopped out as a blade, Huang Tian drew his right fist back to his waist. All twelve major sinews throughout his body pulled taut, and his sea-like blood vitality boiled like beacon smoke. Then, he punched toward the twin maces descending like the great sun.
Above his fist, a sea of fiery clouds seemed to swirl, with an ancient eight-cornered alchemy furnace trailing rays of light floating within the flames. The lid was sealed shut, yet the body trembled slightly; through its walls, one could seemingly glimpse flames capable of incinerating the boundless universe!
Fist met maces!
Bong!
A deafening roar like a great bronze bell halted the drifting clouds, and mountain rocks tumbled down like rain.
The blinding glare forced everyone to instinctively squint. Once the light faded slightly, they could finally see the state of the battlefield: Fu Yunjue and Wan Shenyang were both sent flying backward through the air, their blood vitality churning and their faces utterly grim.
Neither of them had expected that even by joining forces, they would still be repelled in a single blow!
"Too strong! Far too strong!" a martial artist mumbled.
"Looking at Senior Huang, he still seems to have plenty in reserve—truly terrifying!"
"Just how strong is he? Why does it feel like there's no bottom to his power?"
Amidst the gasps of shock, Huang Tian stomped his right foot violently. The ground shook, and the already tottering mountain peak beneath his feet let out a thunderous roar as it collapsed, countless rocks tumbling down with soil while dust soared like dragons!
Using the recoil, he shot like a meteor reversing toward the sky, pursuing the retreating Fu Yunjue.
Fu Yunjue's eyes tightened. His true qi surged wildly as he tried to stabilize his footing, the dark-crimson saber in his hand ringing again as he prepared to slash horizontally. But Huang Tian was far too fast—so fast that the thought had barely formed before the fist arrived right before him.
It was a simple, straightforward punch, yet the power it contained seemed heavier than thousands of mountains combined!
Bang!
The fist slammed into the side of the saber Fu Yunjue had hastily pulled back to defend. The blade let out a wailing screech, trembling violently, but the punch force remained undiminished, slamming heavily into his chest through the weapon.
The crisp sound of cracking bones rang out as a plume of bright blood blossomed in midair. Fu Yunjue's body was hurled backward at an even greater speed, crashing through peak after peak before finally vanishing amidst the billowing dust and rubble.
Dispatching Fu Yunjue took only the span of a spark. Without the slightest pause, Huang Tian stepped on empty air, sending heavy ripples through the atmosphere. Wrapped in raging white air currents and trailing a string of sonic booms, he pounced toward Wan Shenyang, who had barely managed to halt his backward momentum.
A fist drove forth!
Like the pillar of heaven toppling, like ten thousand mountains collapsing down!
Reflected in Wan Shenyang's pupils was a divine fist that eclipsed the sun. Roaring, the blood vitality and true qi throughout his body flooded madly into his twin maces. The maces once again erupted with dazzling brilliance, crossing in front of his chest like a massive shield of sunlight.
Clang!
Like a god forging iron, like a deity striking a bell!
The peerless force rattled Wan Shenyang so hard that blood seeped from his ears and nose. His arms shuddered violently, nearly losing grip of the maces.
He had barely blocked one strike!
Yet Huang Tian's second punch followed immediately on its heels—faster and fiercer than the first!
Boom!
The fist bypassed the guard of the twin maces and smashed into Wan Shenyang's chest, sending him plummeting like a fallen meteor and smashing a massive crater spreading several li wide into the earth!
Nearly twenty li away, the martial artists all felt the ground lurch violently, as though an earth dragon were turning in its slumber.
"Two punches to shatter Fu Yunjue, three punches to crush Wan Shenyang... Aren't they all in the Celestial Being realm? How can the disparity be this vast?!"
Someone looked up at Huang Tian, who stood with his fists drawn back on another mountain peak, their mind reeling.
"This is truly the prodigy of our Five Directions Realm seen once in ten thousand years! If one cannot sweep all before him within the same realm, what right does he have to be called peerless in talent?"
"Tell me, is Yin Fenghai this strong?"
"Perhaps not in the past, but now that he has taken another step forward, he might not be inferior."
"Of the top five on the old Celestial Being Ranking, four have easily fallen by Huang Tian's hand. What about Yin Fenghai? Will he win or lose?"
"The most magnificent battle is about to begin—"
With a muffled thud, Wan Shenyang leapt out of the deep crater. His eyes met those of Fu Yunjue, who had just burst out from the collapsed mountain. Both looked dejected, yet also slightly stirred with excitement.
Their dejection naturally stemmed from being defeated in a mere two or three exchanges.
Their excitement, however, was because...
They looked up toward the sky.
Above, Yin Fenghai stood atop the white crane, his dark robes whipping in the high wind, the hems billowing like churning dark clouds and his sleeves flapping loudly, looking as though he might transform into a dark bird and spread his wings in flight at any moment.
Outlined against the daylight, his figure carried a hazy halo, like a divine being stepping out from a scroll painting.
Below, a solitary thousand-ren peak stabbed straight into the vault of heaven like a sword. Huang Tian stood atop the precipice with his hands behind his back, mountain winds catching his robe while all the surrounding peaks seemed to bow beneath his feet.
He lifted his head to look up, his gaze placid as an ancient well, yet taking in the entirety of the sky.
One above, one below, gazing at each other across the void.
Their gazes and wills pierced through the drifting clouds, crossed the heavenly winds, and collided in midair, sending visible ripples rippling through the high sky in rings that expanded in all directions, stretching for dozens of li.
Even the martial artists watching from afar were affected, clearly sensing the profound appreciation and intense battle intent contained within that clash!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment...
Until a single instant arrived.
Yin Fenghai moved.
He leapt gracefully from the crane's back, his dark robe unfurling in his descent into wings that spanned the heavens!
There was no thunderous, world-crushing momentum; instead, he drifted down like a dark feather floating leisurely. Yet the clear radiance swirling around his body caused even the sunlight to pale.
His right palm pushed forward slowly, the center of his hand glowing with a white-jade luster. It appeared slow but was unimaginably fast. That single palm carried no worldly smoke or fire, yet it set the cloud qi of the entire sky dancing in its wake, as though the whole heavens had become an extension of his palm force.
As the palm descended, it was like the vault of heaven itself coming down!
Chapter 145