The Mirror Legacy - Chapter 1338: Withdraw (I)

Chapter 1338: Withdraw (I)

Five Merciful Ones were a formation meant to contend with late stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. With proper coordination, they were enough to stall a Grand Daoist Master for a short time. How much more effective would they be against someone like her, who was merely at the early stage of the Purple Mansion Realm?

She could only activate her divine ability. Two brownish yellow lights appeared beneath her feet. She pressed her palms together a fist’s distance from her vital organs, raised her head, and urgently recited in her heart, High scorched earth, turn toward Majestic Light. Exhausted soil reveals its form, giving birth to metal and to yang.

In the span of a single thought, a hazy layer of deep brown radiance rippled outward from her body, solid and steady like the earth itself, spreading until it enclosed her within.

The moment the incantation was completed in her heart, the five dharma artifacts of the surrounding Merciful Ones struck the Majestic Light at the same time. A violent muffled boom rang out, echoing through the clouds. Zhugong’s expression shifted slightly, clearly showing the strain.

Although the single attribute of Earth Virtue was formidable, Majestic Earth was still inferior to Manifest Earth in being unbreakable like adamant and unshaken by thunder. What was worse was that Zhugong herself had an improper foundation. Her Majestic Earth was impure and tainted with the methods of devil cultivators.

Once it was struck jointly by five Buddhist cultivators, the radiance immediately grew unstable, as faint strands of deep black qi seeped out. Two of the Merciful Ones glared fiercely. One spat golden sand, while another spewed forth flames, both hurling their attacks at the radiance.

Damn it!

She had no experience fighting Northern Buddhist cultivators and could only exert her divine ability. Multicolored light flared in her eyes. One hand rested at her chest, while the other covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

After inhaling, she shouted sharply, “Ha!”

The Merciful One spewing flames beside her had no time to react. He cried out in pain and collapsed while covering his face like a mortal. A flaw instantly appeared in the five-man encirclement, allowing her to seize the chance to evade. Her divine ability surged again as her figure scattered into flowing light that broke out of the encirclement.

The Merciful One who had been struck by the art was still bent over on his knees, golden blood spilling endlessly from his lips. He was truly panicked and flustered. Yet the Merciful One who spat golden sand remained calm, clearly experienced.

Drawing his sword, he rose and warned, “It is the Majestic Earth technique called Bestowal of the Crown. Ride the wind and stay aloft. Do not touch the ground. You and I are Buddhist cultivators. The pain is heavier, but as long as your heart does not panic, it is not a severe injury.”

The one who spat golden sand was clearly the leader. The Merciful One who had suffered the art endured the pain and rose upon the wind, immediately feeling somewhat better. Not far away, Daoist Master Zhugong’s face darkened as she cast spells and silently cursed her luck.

That bald monk has sharp eyes…

Daoist Master Zhugong had fortuitously attained the Tongxuan Dao lineage and indeed cultivated Bestowal of the Crown. However, she had been ignorant in her early years, with a mixed cultivation. Although she had changed her technique before reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, many hidden dangers remained. Her repeated victories over powerful enemies owed much to Bestowal of the Crown. Now that it had been exposed in a single remark, it was like losing an arm.

The spell art in her hands surged as she shouted, “Bald monk! Try this move!”

She violently coughed up blood. A clump of Majestic Light mixed with specks of multicolored rosy mist flew out from her slightly parted crimson lips. Almost immediately, it smashed into the face of the flame spewing Merciful One who had been struck by the art, who let out a sharp shriek in midair. The Merciful Ones on both sides cried out inwardly in alarm and rushed toward him.

They had not expected that Daoist Master Zhugong’s shout was deliberate, meant as a feint to mislead them. The Majestic Light that seemed to fall before them instantly transformed into Heavenly Glow, while the great void stirred. The true treasure yellow Majestic Light burst forth like a venomous serpent and lunged straight toward the back of the leading Merciful One’s head.

Target this one first! If I cannot cripple him, I will likely be surrounded and fall!

She knew full well that she was no match for the combined strength of the five. Even seizing the initiative only meant she had one more divine ability than them, giving her a fleeting advantage. Thus she struck with extreme ruthlessness, with the resolve to fight to the death. Another small silver bell floated up from the sky and smashed down together with the Majestic Light.

For a moment, three Merciful Ones were held in check. The Merciful One leader had no choice but to raise the golden sword in his hand and force himself forward, facing the treasure yellow Majestic Light as he shouted, “Hold!”

Brilliant multicolored light filled the sky, faintly revealing the Buddhist land. The precious radiance descended like layers upon layers of floating gauze, falling one after another onto the Majestic Light with sizzling sounds.

Boom!

Yet the Majestic Light was like a burning ember dropped into cotton. It pushed through layers of resistance and finally smashed into the Merciful One’s dharma body, drawing a heart rending scream from him. The silver bell followed close behind and about to strike when the Merciful One forcibly opened his eyes. Even as the Majestic Light tore several large holes through his dharma body, he gritted his steel teeth and actually trapped the silver bell in his mouth.

But what good end could come from holding a spirit artifact in one’s mouth? Not even the dharma body of a Merciful One, let alone Body Divine Abilities, would dare to do such a thing. As expected, his eyes instantly burst into golden powder, and countless dark gold cracks appeared across his dharma body.

Zhugong felt no joy at all at the sight. Instead, she was shocked and enraged.

The last Merciful One, who had vanished earlier, had already crossed the great void and was smashing two golden hammers down at her head from behind. His three-headed six-armed dharma body produced two mirrors and a pair of wooden fish, locking her in place from both sides.

“So fast! Such a powerful dharma body!”

Only then did the female Daoist Master realize that the one who had rushed in silently was the most skilled in combat among the five. Yet her spirit artifacts had already been deployed and could not be recalled in time. She could only draw her dharma sword and fling out spirit shields from her sleeves to block.

Clang!

Daoist Master Zhugong’s spell arts were passable, but the rest were clearly inferior. The two spirit shields struggled briefly in midair and released surging black qi. The blood refined dharma artifacts were quickly suppressed by the treasure light, and in the end, failed to block everything. The two mirrors released dazzling golden light that shone straight into her eyes.

Bestowal of the Crown was a pure Spell Divine Ability. Unlike Heaven Venerating Gate, it provided no reinforcement to the dharma body. How could Daoist Master Zhugong’s eyes withstand such illumination? Sparks burst forth at once, and her eyes turned into hollow, charred sockets in an instant as two streams of scorched blood tears flowed down.

At the same time, the silver bell burst out from the Merciful One’s abdomen, blowing the Merciful One who spat golden sand into fragments that scattered across the ground, turning into golden sand that rained from the sky.

Boom!

Imprisoning a spirit artifact within one’s own body would only be more unbearable than what Zhugong herself suffered. Just like that, he returned to the Buddhist land.

Yet the remaining four were not angry but delighted, immediately stepping through the great void to surround her. Daoist Master Zhugong had rarely fought Northern Buddhist cultivators, but these Merciful Ones knew well how to deal with immortal cultivators. From the very beginning of the battle, they had already reached an unspoken understanding to trade lives for injuries.

Their status as Merciful Ones lay in the Buddhist land. Death was death, all in the service of Daisi. Even after death, their dharma bodies would be compensated. But what about Zhugong? How much leeway did she have? Although the dharma body of a Purple Mansion Realm immortal cultivator was indeed less vital than during Foundation Establishment Realm, severe injuries sustained in battle would take at least a year or more to recover.

So the hands of the four did not pause as soon as they completed the encirclement. They chanted sutras in unison, which resonated with the lingering injuries in her eye sockets, forcing bursts of golden fire to erupt and exploit the weakness of her frail dharma body.

Zhugong’s heart turned cold as she realized she was already surrounded by four Merciful Ones. The piercing pain from her eyes still faintly interfered with her spellcasting, warning her of one thing, If I do not leave now, soon I may not be able to leave at all!

The spell art in her hands continued to form seals, transforming into a radiance that wrapped around her and barely blocked the attacks of the four. Her spiritual sense drifted upward as she looked toward the Maha Daisi and Daoist Master Kuiqi in the sky.

The Daoist Master of Xiukui still wore black, one hand clasped behind his back. Before him, the Great Kui Convergence Bronze Sword danced and whirled, appearing and vanishing as it transformed into countless phantoms that weaved through endless multicolored light. Meanwhile, the famed Kongsijiang Demon Bowl of Maha Daisi was held in place in midair by a black tether. Though it repeatedly tried to break free, it was always a step too slow and remained restrained.

Daoist Master Kuiqi pinched a speck of dark light with his other free hand. Streams of radiance flew out one after another from it and fell in overlapping layers upon Daisi. The horse-faced Maha was beset by both the Great Kui Convergence Bronze Sword and the dark light, relying solely on his dharma body to barely maintain a stalemate.

Clearly, compared to Zhugong’s wretched state, Daoist Master Kuiqi found his battle with Daisi far from difficult. Anxiety filled Zhugong’s heart. The longer she endured, the less confidence she had. As the mana within her body continued to drop and her dharma body suffered repeated injuries, she finally drew Daoist Master Kuiqi’s gaze.

The Daoist Master was not surprised to see her struggling at every step. Three divine abilities circulated in his hands, and the spell art he wielded grew increasingly formidable, battering Daisi until his expression gradually turned grim.

Daoist Friend Zhugong. Hold on for just another fifteen minutes and wait for my divine ability to be unleashed.

Zhugong’s heart sank at once. Before she could reply to Kuiqi, the radiance around her grew ever dimmer. The Merciful One who had just been wounded by mirror light spread his six arms, his eyes glowing gold and red, clearly having activated some secret art.

As expected, after only a few exchanges, the golden fire in his eyes intensified. The radiance before her shattered apart with a dull boom. Zhugong drew another breath and set her divine ability into motion again.

“Ha!”

This time the distance was closer, and all four beside her erupted at once and froze briefly. The six armed Merciful One nearest to her had a surge of golden blood gush from his nose. His eyes bulged in fury as he pursued again. Zhugong’s silver bell moved to block him once more, yet the other three had already reached her.

Blazing golden light still burned within her eye sockets, and the weakness of her dharma body became apparent. Bestowal of the Crown was clearly a divine ability better suited for single combat than group battles. She grew flustered as she coughed up another mouthful of blood that scattered as golden light.

But at this critical moment, Zhugong never expected a demon subduing lotus covered in intricate patterns to burst out of the great void with dazzling golden radiance and strike her completely unguarded back!

Boom!

A cloud of mist exploded across the sky, accompanied by the crashing sound of earth collapsing. Rain dispersed, and broken stones and sand filled the heavens. Zhugong’s face turned pale as golden light gathered to form her figure not far away. Her chest was hollow, revealing the landscape behind her through a lotus shaped gap.

Daisi! How could this be?!

The demon subduing lotus did not spare her. This dazzling treasure artifact was far more powerful than the Kongsijiang Demon Bowl. In an instant, it transformed into countless sharp petals that rained down upon her dharma body.

“Sigh!”

At last, a black tether pierced out of the great void and blocked most of the lotus fragments. Dense dark light followed, binding the hidden precious radiance within the great void. Even so, Zhugong was struck by several petals and spat out a mouthful of blood as dizziness overwhelmed her.

Endless white mist descended above Daisi’s head, trapping him within. Daoist Master Kuiqi had clearly been forced to cast his technique ahead of time, allowing his body to manifest before Zhugong. The Great Kui Convergence Bronze Sword pointed straight ahead, frightening the Merciful Ones into retreat.

His gloomy gaze lingered on the dark gold demon subduing lotus, and a name surfaced in his mind, Zhelu! This is the Three Retributions World Entering Lotus…

Meanwhile, Zhugong finally gained a moment to breathe. Flesh rapidly regenerated over the hollow wound in her chest. She paid no heed to anything else and fled into the great void in a single breath, vanishing from sight.

Daisi, left alone in the sky, wore a broad smile and was clearly in excellent spirits as he said, “Daoist Friend Kuiqi! You are still one step behind me!”

Daoist Master Kuiqi’s expression was unpleasant. He swept his gaze across the monks and nuns before him, and said nothing further as his face gradually turned cold. Disappointed, he stepped into the great void and vanished as well.

“Hahaha!”

The horse-faced Maha descended from the sky in great triumph. The remaining four Merciful Ones dropped to their knees with a thud and shouted in unison, “Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord!”

Daisi’s expression slowly shifted from smug satisfaction to cold gloom. When he saw that one Merciful One had died, and an old Merciful One of many years at that, he felt a trace of heartache and said in a low voice, “Years of hatred are finally repaid a little today. If not for still keeping an eye on that missing old thing from the Purple Smoke Gate, and worrying that acting too aggressively would provoke the Supreme Yang Dao lineage into pulling out some hidden trump card in retaliation, there would have been no need for all this trouble.”

He slowly smothered the hatred in his eyes and lowered his head to look at the dark gold lotus covered in intricate patterns resting in his palm, feeling both greed and regret, What a pity. Such a fine treasure artifact, yet it does not belong to me.

“Let’s go! Follow me back!”