Chapter 1760: Jeweled Fang (II)

In an instant, the situation changed dramatically. Li Ximing had already been at a disadvantage, and now his divine ability had struck empty. Guangchan's eyes gleamed golden as he resonated with the Buddhist land. The temple gates suddenly swung open, and Li Ximing was no longer standing before the temple. He had crossed the threshold and entered the hall itself!

Five enormous golden bodies abruptly appeared around him from every direction. Each bore the appearance of a sinister demon or evil spirit, with dark faces twisted into hideous, ferocious expressions. They wielded spears, halberds, staves, lances, and long spears, all moving at once as they charged toward him.

High above, Guangchan sat upright with his palms pressed together, solemnly chanting scriptures.

Li Ximing had no choice but to raise the jade ruler and block the sweeping spear and halberd. Dust exploded through the air on impact, yet he still found it difficult to believe what he was sensing. His Fate Divine Ability was telling him that this place was unquestionably real, not some kind of illusion art!

His [Demon-Suppressing Gut-Cleaving Mace] was still suspended within the dark clouds outside the temple, while bolts of lightning continued to hammer against the profound drum his opponent had summoned earlier!

This was Li Ximing's first time fighting such a bizarre cultivator of the Buddhist Dao, and a chill had already crept into his heart.

Guangchan's reputation is indeed well deserved... If I let myself get trapped too deeply in this, I may have trouble escaping in the end!

Thus, when all five weapons struck at once, he braced himself and blocked them in a single breath. His face paled from the impact, but he immediately opened his mouth and spewed flames. Puffing out his cheeks, he turned his head, sweeping the fire across all directions like a surging wave!

These five golden bodies were not especially powerful, while the might of the [Heavenly Crow Merging Fire] was far more fearsome. The brilliant white flames clung to the golden bodies, the beams and halls, and the jade seats like festering sores embedded in bone, writhing like countless crawling demons as they burned ever more fiercely.

Guangchan sighed inwardly, What a pity it's Merging Fire! If not for this Merging Fire, I'd be ninety percent certain I could trap him here and kill him outright!

[Merging Fire] damaged both nature and life, carrying with it a troublesome, malignant quality wherever it went. No matter how perfectly Guangchan's temple had been constructed, it could not escape this weakness. He could not allow the flames to spread unchecked, so he briefly halted the scripture art he had been chanting and flicked his sleeve, shaking free a small and exquisite treasure pagoda.

The pagoda expanded rapidly in the wind, and sixteen runes along its lowest tier lit up simultaneously. As Guangchan focused on the flames, Li Ximing finally gained a moment to breathe. He circulated the Light of the Six Directions to dispel calamity and resolve adversity.

Seeing the pagoda bearing down on him with overwhelming force, he proclaimed, "When the four seas lose hope, how shall they bear such weight?"

The Light of the Six Directions immediately transformed from invisible to tangible, sweeping outward and becoming vast veils of golden mist that layered themselves around the pagoda.

Yet the monk above merely smiled and said, "Its form is like a treasure pagoda, imposing and steadfast. Now that it treads into profound peril, this is precisely the time to bear the weight."

White-golden light immediately blazed from the descending pagoda. Far from slowing it down, the billowing golden mist actually made it fall even faster. Li Ximing was both shocked and alarmed. How could he fail to recognize the mystics at work?

He cursed inwardly, It's Bright Yang's Light of Treading Peril!

As the treasure pagoda came crashing down, Li Ximing finally understood the predicament other Daoist Masters had faced when battling Li Zhouwei. With no time left to worry about preserving his trump cards, he gritted his teeth and resisted head-on, raising the [Heaven-Venerating Gate].

White-golden heavenly light poured down as the radiant heavenly gate rose from the ground. Yet the five golden bodies all reached out at once, each grasping a chain and pulling the treasure pagoda taut, preventing the heavenly gate from expanding any further.

For a time, radiance from the collision of Bright Yang energies flashed continuously, while dense purple flames surged in every direction.

Light flickered in and out within the treasure pagoda as Guangchan pressed his palms together and praised, "Countless streams of light flow within this pagoda, enough to take a man's life. Yet Zhaojing is blessed with great fortune. There is a place here reserved especially for you. Enter my Jeweled Fang Temple, and you will surely become a great figure."

Though he spoke the words of recruitment, there was little expectation on his face. Instead, his hands formed seals faster and faster, while one eyelid twitched faintly.

Countless brilliant white lights were already rippling beneath the pagoda, and the Daoist Master trapped within shone with a hazy white radiance through its golden walls. Guangchan's mana was being consumed at an increasingly alarming rate, and a trace of decisiveness entered his eyes.

I absolutely cannot drag this out... Li Ximing himself is nothing much, but that [Heavenly Crow Merging Fire] is more troublesome than anything else. If it keeps burning for too long, it'll ruin my treasure pagoda!

By this point, Guangchan believed he had the situation firmly under control. The only thing he feared was that flame. The brilliance in his eyes grew increasingly dazzling as he chanted, "I shall subdue your heterodox Dao and bring you into my threefold chamber!"

As soon as he spoke, the bricks beneath them shifted once again. The enormous screen behind Guangchan abruptly parted to either side, faintly revealing an inner chamber deeper within. There was no colossal dharma body or magnificent ornamentation inside, only a simple golden statue.

The flames beneath the treasure pagoda seemed to have been provoked by something and suddenly burned even more violently. Guangchan snapped his head up as a long, resonant cry drifted into his ears.

Moo...

The surging ground abruptly settled. The golden treasure pagoda rumbled violently, and the five golden bodies began staggering uncontrollably. Doubt flashed across Guangchan's face, followed by sudden alarm.

[Manifest Earth]? A Daoist Master of the Manifest Earth Dao? What?

In the instant he lost focus, cracking sounds erupted one after another from the five chains. They shattered and clattered across the ground as brown-red radiance forcibly lifted the treasure pagoda, revealing the Daoist Master beneath.

Li Ximing's entire body was riddled with holes the size of eyes, while both of his eyes had melted into pools of crimson liquid. Brilliant light surged through those cavities, making him look hideous and terrifying. Yet he seemed completely oblivious to his condition, sitting cross-legged beneath the pagoda with both hands cupped as though holding a lotus.

Cradled in his palms was a thumb-sized glob of golden iridescent light, densely covered in runes. It spun and danced with extraordinary agility, glowing ever brighter, while three points of crimson radiant light circled it like attendant stars.

[Great Radiance Golden Light].

Guangchan truly deserved to be called a great cultivator who had turned from the Immortal Dao to Buddhist Dao. It only took him a moment to recover his composure, and he pressed his palms together once more. The iridescent light that had long been gathering at the top of the pagoda, originally meant to kill Li Ximing, suddenly descended ahead of time!

But Li Ximing looked up first. Bright colors surfaced within his hollow pupils as he parted his lips. With the Light of the Six Directions assisting him, all the incantations merged into a single resounding chant.

"Calamity and chaos reach the heavens. I shall destroy your evil!"

The heavenly light at the center of his brows instantly darkened, releasing hundreds upon thousands of streaks of black light tipped with gold. In the blink of an eye, they swallowed everything above him. It was the [Imperial Divergence Light]!

With the aid of the [Ever-Transcending Transformative Metal] he had obtained from Guo Nanwu, he had already mastered this art!

Boom!

Drawn by his Fate Divine Ability, the pitch-black radiance swallowed the surging white light descending from above. It only held it back for an instant, but that instant was more than enough!

Dong!

The [Great Radiance Golden Light], shaped like a profound and mysterious rune, had already transformed into a dense beam of pure golden light. The great void thundered as torrents of Radiant Light surged like a rising hurricane, tearing straight through the temple and piercing layer after layer of colorful clouds, staining the entire horizon crimson!

The entire [Jeweled Fang Temple] was torn in half by the radiance like a tattered painting, scattering crystalline light in every direction. The lake reappeared below, reflecting the crimson sky.

The [Jeweled Fang Temple] has been broken!

Li Ximing knew full well that his opponent's abilities went far beyond just this. Spitting blood, he turned to scan the battlefield. His hollow eyes spotted Sima Yuanli in the distance manipulating Valley Water above the lake, and his deep roar echoed through the air.

"Sima Yuanli! The spirit treasure!"

Li Ximing's blood-choked shout reverberated through the sky. Sima Yuanli jolted in alarm, seemingly having never expected Guangchan to possess such terrifying ability. He hurriedly untied the pale white scroll glowing with golden light from his waist and, while forcibly enduring the attacks of those surrounding him, threw out the spirit treasure!

If I fail the King of Wei, that may still be forgivable... He isn't the sort to hold grudges over every mistake. But if I get Li Ximing killed... the King of Wei will definitely make me die with him!