Chapter 306 (1): Li Yaofeng

Clusters of crimson tentacles shot out from the cross-section of the Desire Demon's lower body, rapidly spreading outward like a grotesque flower in bloom.

Directly above his lower body, masses of tentacles intertwined to form a crimson crystalline object. It pulsed rhythmically while giving off a sinister aura.

At the sight of the crystalline object, a passage of text instantly appeared before Chu Qiguang's Dao pursuer eyes.

"Buddhist relic of a fallen monk of the Vajra Monastery. Before his death, the fallen monk gained access to the Buddha Realm, and after his death, his body was refined into a key to the Buddha Realm. The pope of the Tribulation Religion has bestowed this key upon a follower that he favors, and when that follower dies, the key will bring equal tribulations upon everyone."

At the same time, Chu Qiguang was assaulted by a barrage of hallucinations. He saw a grand and resplendent golden gate opening behind the Desire Demon.

Even though the gate was golden, large sections of its exterior had already peeled away, revealing what appeared to be flesh and blood underneath.

Piercing Buddhist chants could be heard from behind the gate. It sounded as if countless people were pressing against it, trying to force their way through.

As Chu Qiguang recalled everything he had learned about the Vajra Monastery and the Tribulation Religion, a sequence of events instantly took shape in his mind.

After the monk from the Vajra Monastery succumbed to demonification, he must've been refined by the Tribulation Religion using the Animitta Tribulation, granting them the power to access the Buddha Realm!

A strong sense of unease welled up in Chu Qiguang's heart, and his instincts screamed at him to destroy the Buddhist relic.

No one else had witnessed what he had just seen, but they could also sense the threat posed by the Buddhist relic, and everyone lashed out in unison.

Han Jueyong quickly removed his gauntlets and began forming a series of hand seals. His heart pounded like a drum as he channeled the fourth level of the Vajra Laws.

His body began swelling at a rate visible to the naked eye, threatening to burst through his armor from within.

Meanwhile, the three Dao Comprehension Seeds charged toward the Desire Demon's remains with their spears pointed straight ahead.

Zhang Fengyun pulled out a Demon Vanquishing Talisman, which released wave after wave of radiant golden light powered by her faith. As the golden light swept over the crimson tentacles, they immediately began writhing frantically while emitting high-pitched shrieks.

Fu Haotian reluctantly pulled out another yellow paper talisman, which ignited on its own. The flames formed a divine general that spread its arms wide before embracing the Desire Demon's remains.

However, the flames were gradually extinguished, and the resplendent, golden gate that had initially only been visible to Chu Qiguang appeared before Fu Haotian, Zhang Fengyun, and the others as well.

As the gate was opened, piercing Buddhist chanting erupted from within. The three Dao Comprehension Seeds involuntarily stopped in their tracks as splitting headaches and all kinds of terrifying hallucinations assaulted them.

Jiang Xusheng staggered another step forward, only to let loose an agonized cry as blood gushed from his mouth. From his perspective, the blood that was pulsing and writhing while giving off a putrid stench, as if it were rotting flesh from a corpse.

All of a sudden, a male voice rang out from within the Buddhist relic.

"The bodies of the dead should be allowed to rest in peace."

"If your wish is to rest in peace, then I'll gladly oblige!" Han Jueyong harrumphed coldly.

Thanks to the physical enhancements provided by the Vajra Laws, he had grown over two meters tall, and his suit of armor was barely able to cling to his enormous frame.

He retrieved the saber he had hurled earlier, then sprang forward and launched himself at the Buddhist relic like a cannonball. However, before he could reach it, a giant hand as tall as a grown man extended from the golden gate to intercept him.

The hand was enormous, yet it appeared withered and atrophied. At the same time, all the glowing, golden paint on the gate peeled away, revealing the scorched flesh underneath.

A resounding boom rang out as the giant hand descended in front of the Buddhist relic and stopped Han Jueyong's in its tracks.

Han Jueyong's expression changed drastically at the sight of this. He had long suspected that the Tribulation Religion had stolen the Vajra Monastery's secrets, and it seemed he had been right.

The nine divine generals attacked in unison, but more giant hands emerged from the gate. Some of the divine generals were intercepted, while others sent flying or forced to the ground.

As the Buddhist chanting intensified, the fire burning in the Daoist temple only became fiercer and fiercer. At the same time, choruses of inhuman screams rang out in the distance. It seemed that some people had already begun undergoing demonification.

Zhang Fengyun gritted her teeth as she fended off a giant hand with an anxious look on her face. She was attacking the Buddhist relic alongside Han Jueyong and Fu Haotian, but their combined efforts were proving completely futile. To make matters worse, more and more hands were extending from the gate, threatening to crush them all.

Chu Qiguang's brows furrowed slightly as he observed the battle from afar, then turned his attention to the three Dao Comprehension Seeds.

"Should we step in?" Qiao Zhi asked tensely.

"Not yet," Chu Qiguang replied with a shake of his head. "I feel like they still have more trump cards up their sleeves."

"Still?" Qiao Zhi asked. "If we don't intervene soon, it'll be too late."

"It's fine. Be patient," Chu Qiguang said soothingly as he stroked Qiao Zhi's head.

The fire in the Daoist temple quickly grew into an all-consuming inferno, while the golden light radiating from Zhang Fengyun's body began to waver and flicker.

"What're you waiting for, Senior Uncle?!" she asked frantically.

Fu Haotian was certain that the people from the Demon Vanquishing Department still had more trump cards up their sleeves. His original plan had been to wait for them to make the first move, but with the fire sweeping through the Daoist temple, he knew that he couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Heaving a resigned sigh, he pulled out a second Palm Lightning Talisman.

Palm Lightning Talismans could summon lightning that struck with incredible power and speed. Most importantly, lightning was a natural bane of demons and other beings of sinister origin.

Fu Haotian possessed only four such talismans in total, so it pained him greatly to use two in a single battle.

A deafening boom rang out as a bolt of lightning erupted from Fu Haotian's hand. It moved so quickly that it struck the crimson Buddhist relic before anyone had a chance to react.

The Buddhist relic had remained completely unscathed up to this point, but the lightning strike left a series of cracks across its surface.

At the same time, the giant hands extending from the gate stiffened in unison before quickly withdrawing.

Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief at sight of this, but Chu Qiguang had a feeling that it wasn't over yet.