Chapter 212
At this moment, not only was the offensive interrupted, but even the realm had dropped to the mid-stage of the Golden Core.
The remains of the demon cultivator spewed out black smoke, staring at Li Qingran with a mix of suspicion and disbelief. "Y-you have so many Thunderfire Talismans? Are you a talisman master?"
"I have more!" Li Qingran pulled out another handful and tossed them casually.
This time, they were mid-grade Thunderfire Talismans, fewer in number, only a little over seventy.
Another round of thunderous baptism ensued, causing the demon cultivator's remains to stagger back repeatedly, its aura weakening once more, leaving only the Golden Core exposed.
"Damn it, if this continues, we won't stand a chance!"
The monk Huikong's expression darkened.
At this moment, without the magic formation to replenish the demon's energy, if he didn't find a way out, wouldn't the demon cultivator's remains be ground to dust by the opponent?
"What if I infused my power into the demon cultivator's remains?"
Huikong fixed his gaze on his hands, which were glowing with Buddhist light.
If he infused the remains with Buddhist power, it would enhance their resistance to Thunderfire.
At the same time, the demon cultivator's remains wouldn't suffer from continuous depletion, which would lower their realm.
However, infusing with Buddhist energy would inevitably show signs on the demon cultivator's remains, exposing him!
The girl across from him reached into her storage bag.
Huikong watched in disbelief as she pulled out another talisman.
This time, the number was even smaller, but the righteous aura emanating from it was even more imposing and heavy.
They were all top-grade Thunderfire Talismans.
Huikong's lips twitched.
Is this a game?
He couldn't hold back any longer!
He took out the soul pearl that controlled the demon cultivator's remains, placing his glowing hands on it and infusing it with power in an instant.
"We must... end this quickly!"
...
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Chapter 227: You Can't Take Anyone Away!
When Li Qingran saw that half of the demon cultivator's remains were still broken bones while the other half had taken on the golden body of a Buddhist Arhat, she felt it was unbelievable.
Such a thing should be impossible.
Buddhist energy and demonic energy are mutually restraining; unless the demon had accepted the Buddha, or the Buddha was, in fact, a demon!
So, the one controlling the demon cultivator's remains is a disciple of the Buddhist path? Zen... or perhaps, Wanjing?!
"I didn't want to resort to this method, but you forced my hand!"
Huikong dropped the pretense, and the demon cultivator's remains pressed its palms together, thrusting forward.
In an instant, a massive palm, half demon and half Buddha, wrapped in Buddhist light, flew toward her.
Li Qingran threw all the top-grade Thunderfire Talismans she had.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderfire rained down from the sky, partially neutralizing the giant palm of the demon-Buddha.
The remaining Thunderfire continued its assault toward the demon cultivator's remains but was blocked by the shield formed by the Arhat's golden body.
"Benefactor, just submit, and you’ll suffer less."
Huikong pressed his palms together again, conjuring another palm.
This one was even more ferocious, condensing into a swastika in mid-air, pressing down.
This female cultivator had already used low-grade, mid-grade, and top-grade Thunderfire Talismans.
Top-grade talismans were already quite rare.
He couldn't believe she could produce an even rarer supreme-grade one.
However, the next second, Huikong saw Li Qingran reach for her storage bag.
"Amitabha! No way!?"
Huikong's vision darkened, feeling it was absurd.
Because she really pulled out a supreme-grade Thunderfire Talisman.
And not just one, but two!
Wasn't the Sword Pavilion the poorest sect in the Cangyun Realm?
Aren't the disciples there struggling for resources, with even the elders relying on robbery to supplement their sect's needs?
Could all those rumors be false?
Otherwise, how could this Sword Pavilion female cultivator possess so many precious talismans?
Who exactly is the true prodigy of the sacred lands!?
Li Qingran had no idea that her actions had caused a Buddhist disciple to question his life choices.
Holding a supreme-grade Thunderfire Talisman in each hand, the edges of the talisman ignited with purple-gold flames, and the vermilion lightning patterns twisted like snakes, burning away in an instant.
Two deep rumbles of thunder echoed in the sky.
"Not good!" Huikong felt a surge of alarm; supreme-grade talismans were indeed rare.
As he sensed the impending might of the thunder, goosebumps erupted all over him. He could no longer hide his identity and directly summoned his life-bound artifact—the Nine-Ringed Silver Staff—over his head, transforming it into a golden bowl inscribed with burning scripts, turned upside down.
The sky seemed to tear open.
A golden lightning pillar, as thick as a barrel, shot down, crashing onto the golden bowl and instantly transforming into thousands of golden serpents.
Huikong, controlling the demon cultivator's remains, felt an overwhelming pressure descend upon him.
Despite the shield's protection, the demonic part of the remains began to dissolve in the radiant Buddhist energy.
Crack!
The second bolt of lightning struck.
The golden bowl shattered in response.
A hundred miles away, the monk Huikong, meditating in front of the sect's ruins, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
As the lightning dissipated, everything within a hundred feet was reduced to ashes.
Before Li Qingran lay two overlapping craters, one of which contained the broken body of the demon cultivator's remains, which swayed and then collapsed to the ground.
Only the head, not yet burned away by the Thunderfire, retained half of its Arhat visage.
Its stark white teeth clacked together, and from within came Huikong's unmasked voice.
"Good, good, good! I intended to capture you for a grand opportunity! Since you refuse to cooperate..."
In front of the sect's ruins, Huikong formed a seal with his hands: "Conceal Mount Sumeru in a mustard seed, observe the three thousand in a speck of dust! Infinite Crossing!"
As his words fell, he vanished from his spot in an instant.
Only a single Bodhi leaf floated down, which, when touched by the wind, crumbled to dust.
...
Infinite Crossing—similar to the Daoist technique of shrinking the earth to an inch.
Although flying was prohibited in the small secret realm, techniques akin to shrinking the earth could still be used.
However, such techniques required exceptional talent; otherwise, one could only qualify to learn them after reaching the Nascent Soul stage.
Huikong's talent was evident; he had already mastered Infinite Crossing in the mid-stage of the Golden Core.
He emerged from the Buddhist light, standing atop the ashes of the demon cultivator's remains.
"Amitabha."
Huikong pressed his palms together, blood gushing from his eyes, mouth, and nose.
Crossing a hundred meters in such a short time was nothing for a Nascent Soul cultivator.
But he was merely a Golden Core, and forcibly activating the technique had left him severely injured. Yet even so, it was more than enough to deal with the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection before him.
"Is it you?!"
Li Qingran looked at the monk Huikong in horror.
The appearance of the Wanjing Buddhist disciple Huikong was unmistakable; he was a robust figure with a disproportionately small head.
His face, soft and beautiful like a woman's, even with blood streaming from his seven orifices, did not appear disheveled but rather had an eerie charm.
However, it was still incomparable to her master’s face, which had fallen to a tragic state.
With such a body bearing such a face, she felt nothing but disgust, as if his body were a patchwork.
"Benefactor, now that you’ve seen my face, it means you must come with me today!"
Buddhist light rose behind Huikong, and the pressure of the late Golden Core stage turned the ashes in the lightning pit into a swirling black mist, obscuring the surroundings.
"Did you have a hand in the disappearance of my three senior brothers from the Sword Pavilion? Is the magic formation that trapped everyone part of your scheme? What have you done to them?"
Huikong remained silent, merely stepping closer.
The smirk at the corner of his mouth answered her question.
The ground trembled.
With each step he took, he grew three meters taller, his body expanding by a meter.
After seven steps, he had transformed into a colossal Buddha, shaking the ground beneath him.
Li Qingran's expression darkened, but she showed no fear, only tightening her grip on her sword.
A Foundation Establishment Great Perfection against a Golden Core Great Perfection... this would surely be a fierce battle.
She had considered that the one controlling the remains was a Buddhist cultivator, even thinking of Zen and Wanjing, but the secular view of the sacred lands had still confined her thinking.
Now, the bloody truth lay before her.
"Benefactor, come with me for a while!"
With a wave of his hand, Huikong conjured a golden Buddhist hand reaching for Li Qingran.
Li Qingran fixed her gaze on the illusory hand, her mind racing with the first two forms of the Qinglian Sword Classic, her right hand bracing against the sword's hilt, ready to strike.
Just then,
Clang!
A flash of blood-red blade light shot out from behind her.
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