Chapter 280 - 279 Revealing the True Face
“Spirit Plant Array, activate!”
Only ‘Old Fifth’ could start the array; otherwise, Lord Heishan wouldn’t have bothered to control him.
While he was distracted, he had already taken several hits from Taoist Tongchen.
Weak gleams of light radiated from the spirit plants, extending to their roots. In Taoist Tongchen’s divine sense, the soil and rocks vanished, the roots of the spirit plants pierced deeply into the earth, forming interwoven and crisscrossing formation lines that enveloped the entire mountain.
Taoist Tongchen had purchased the Mountain Protection Array from a merchant. He didn’t understand it, so he didn’t know the function of the Spirit Plant Array.
“Why is this Spirit Plant Array so incomplete? What has that unfilial disciple been doing all these years?” Lord Heishan frowned. He had given Old Fifth seven years. In theory, he should have completed 80 to 90 percent of it, if not 100.
After activation, he found out that only 30 percent had been completed.
What could Old Fifth say? Wasn’t it because ‘Old Fourth’ had forcefully mined and sold off the array’s core for alchemy?
“Well, even 30 percent is better than nothing.”
With the activation of the Spirit Plant Array, the nearby spiritual energy became muted and hard to manipulate. No matter how he harnessed the power of heaven and earth with talismans, he would still need spiritual energy to delineate the runes.
The Spirit Plant Array reduced Taoist Tongchen’s talisman function.
However, the reduction was limited, lowering Taoist Tongchen’s strength just slightly below Lord Heishan and Monk Jin Guang. The two still struggled to bring down Taoist Tongchen.
“The monks in the Ancient World are pretty wild. How can they still believe in the Buddha with such conduct?”
Bai Hongtu saw Monk Jin Guang draped in a kasaya made of human faces and wearing a necklace of child-sized skulls. Holding a nine-ring staff made of curved fingers, the recitation of the Buddhist scriptures summoned vengeful spirits.
This was the evilest monk Bai Hongtu had ever seen.
The Buddha was grand, majestic, and kind, never harboring thoughts of harming others. Those who followed the Buddhist path often took Buddha as their example, cleansing their spirits and contemplating the Buddhist Law.
There shouldn’t be such evil monks in principle, which resulted in Bai Hongtu’s question.
“Because he doesn’t believe in Buddha, but in the Arhat of Great Freedom,” Jiang Li answered. Bai Hongtu could only see the scene before him, but Jiang Li could use his divine sense to perceive other places.
“The Arhat of Great Freedom? What’s that?”
“There are eight cultivators in the Body Integration Realm in the Ancient World, and one of them, a follower of Buddhism, is known as the Arhat of Great Freedom. All Buddhists worship him.”
“The Arhat of Great Freedom advocates doing as one wills. If you want to kill, you kill; if you want to save, you save. Only then can you truly comprehend the spirit of Buddhism and cleanse your spirit.”
“Alright then,” complained Bai Hongtu, who was now speechless before the reality of the Ancient World. Even such a person could become an Arhat.
Bai Hongtu suspected more people died in the Ancient World each day than pigs in the Nine Provinces.
“Damn it, I can’t hide it anymore. If I keep this up, I’ll die today.” Lord Heishan ripped off his clothes, and his aura soared.
Taoist Tongchen, feeling threatened, murmured, “Nascent Soul Mid-Stage… Nascent Soul Mid-Stage near perfection… Nascent Soul Late-Stage!”
“This is your hoped-for territorial divide,” Jiang Li sneered, showing Bai Hongtu Lord Heishan’s realm.
Monk Jin Guang looked at Lord Heishan in surprise, not expecting that he had hidden his realm.
The purpose of hiding his realm was obvious; he intended to make a deadly move when dividing Taoist Tongchen’s spoils.
What a ruthless heart!
Monk Jin Guang also let his realm surge up to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, catching Lord Heishan’s attention.
The monk was up to something too.
Lord Heishan and Monk Jin Guang looked at each other. There was no embarrassment, only resolve.
Their current enemy was Taoist Tongchen. There was no need for disputes now. They had to deal with Taoist Tongchen first!
Both parties matched Taoist Tongchen’s realm. Unable to defend, Taoist Tongchen began to lose ground.
“Huh? The elixir Yu Feng had me take has additional effects?” To Taoist Tongchen’s surprise, not only did the elixir he had taken for the past three and a half years heal his secret injuries, it also left medicinal effects in his body. Now, after intense fighting, it stimulated these effects, helping him breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, and reach the peak of the Nascent Soul stage!
“Nascent Soul peak!” The Black Mountain Lord and Golden Light Monk were shocked, they didn’t expect to be surpassed again just as they reached the same realm.
However, being at the Nascent Soul peak was essentially still being in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. It was infinitely closer to the Divinity Transformation Stage, but the growth was not as powerful as that of the Black Mountain Lord and Golden Light Monk.
“Master, I will help you!” Sister Wu Lian wanted to help, but she was stopped by Yu Feng.
“Sister, it’s no use if you go up. You might as well destroy the Spirit Plant Formation.”
A anxious Sister Wu Lian asked, “But I don’t understand formations, I don’t know where the key to the formation lies, how do I destroy it?”
“I do.”
With just two simple words, Yu Feng exudes confidence.
Sister Wu Lian suddenly feels that her junior brother has grown up and become dependable. He’s no longer the little fellow who sought her protection.
“My little boyfriend has now become a big boyfriend.” Sister Wu Lian murmured in a voice only she could hear and chuckled softly.
The two parted ways. Under Yu Feng’s command, Sister Wu Lian pulled out the key to the formation.
The Black Mountain Lord tried to use Old Five to interfere with the two, but once Old Five activated the large formation, his soul disappeared and he died a thorough death.
“Well done!” The Taoist Tong Chen was overjoyed. He discovered that the power of his talisman had returned to normal, and with the addition of the Nascent Soul peak, it had become even more powerful.
That was tough on the Black Mountain Lord and Golden Light Monk. Begrudgingly, they used their hidden cards that was originally meant to scheme against each other on Taoist Tong Chen.
Taoist Tong Chen had not expected that these two would still have hidden powers, and had no choice but to face them with a do-or-die spirit.
After a bloody battle, Taoist Tong Chen emerged victorious, but dangerously weakened, barely able to stand.
Not a trace remained of the Black Mountain Lord and the Golden Light Monk, they were utterly obliterated.
Taoist Tong Chen laboriously walked towards Sister Wu Lian and Yu Feng, gasping for breath, his energy in chaos.
“Master, are you alright?” Sister Wu Lian moved forward to support Taoist Tong Chen.
Taoist Tong Chen produced a bitter smile, “Alright? This is not alright at all, it’s completely awful.”
“My internal injury just healed, and now because of this fight, I have added another one.”
Sister Wu Lian hurriedly tried to comfort him. “Junior brother is amazing, he can concoct medicinal pills….”
Taoist Tong Chen shook his head, “There’s no need to go to that trouble, as long as I break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage, my injury can heal itself.”
“Divinity Transformation Stage? Master, you are bearing internal injuries, how can you possibly break through to the Divinity Transformation Stage?”
“Who says there’s no way? Don’t we have you?”
Sister Wu Lian froze and unwittingly let go of Taoist Tong Chen’s arm, an unnamed fear rising in her heart.
“Master, what do you mean?”
“You’re an innate being. As long as you are refined into a human dan, you can help me soar directly to the Divinity Transformation Stage!”
Taoist Tong Chen revealed a greedy smile, “It’s been too long, I’ve waited too long for this moment. I truly have to thank Yu Feng. His medicine not only helped heal my internal injuries but also allowed me to break through to the Nascent Soul peak.”
Sister Wu Lian turned around and ran.
“Junior Brother, you should run too!”
Taoist Tong Chen sneered, “Run? Can you escape?”
Yu Feng’s facial expression was cold as he pulled Sister Wu Lian behind him, “Sister Wu Lian, there’s no need to run.”
Yu Feng revealed a sinister smile, “Master, in your next life, learn how to create formations.”
With a step forward, the earth-shattering Mountain Protection Array hidden in the mountain was quietly activated, like an ancient beast waking up from its slumber.
Taoist Tong Chen was horrified.