A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 153 Peace and Happiness Eliminate Suffering
"Brother Yin, are you alright?"

Just now, Meng Fan saw the Soul-Severing Forest glowing brightly with red light from afar, and knew that Yin Zhong must have been fighting with the newcomer. Fearing that he would go over and cause trouble, he first had someone use talismans to block the exit of the Soul-Severing Forest.

When the red light faded, Meng Fan came alone. Looking at Yin Zhong, who had a calm expression, he guessed that the other party was not injured.

“Brother Meng, the seal on the Soul-Severing Forest has been deliberately broken. I have already set up the formation again. Although the intruder has been killed, there is no guarantee that others will not covet this place in the future. It seems that we need to increase the level of security here.”

Meng Fan nodded upon hearing this. "If it's an ordinary person, the yamen (government office) can handle them, but if it's someone extraordinary or unusual, I'm afraid only the Iron Guards of Brother Yin's Manor can deal with them."

"Because of the Nine Mountain City incident, the Iron Guards here were all withdrawn to protect the manor. Now that the bloodshed has been resolved, I will send a team of Iron Guards to take turns on duty to ensure that today's incident does not happen again. The yamen should not let their guard down either."

Upon hearing this, Meng Fan's face lit up with joy, and he immediately clasped his hands in a salute.

"Then thank you very much, Brother Yin."

There's no need for such formalities between us.

Looking at the miasma sealed by the formation in front of him, Yin Zhong couldn't think of a better way to completely eliminate it for the time being.

"Once the Blood Luo Heavenly Instrument is refined, let's see if we can solve this problem once and for all."

Yin Zhong and Meng Fan discussed a few more things, and then the two left the Broken Soul Forest. The next day, a team of Iron Guards had already set up camp there, and everything they needed was of the highest quality.

Meanwhile, in Anle City on the southeast coast of Tianhua, Zhu Gang, Ying Yin, and Lang Rong were walking down a main street.

Looking at the bustling city, Zhu Gang was very satisfied. This place was extremely popular and suitable for erecting a deity.

"There's too much worldly dust and filth here. If we stay here long enough, we'll probably be corrupted within a few years."

Ying Yin was naturally fond of cleanliness, and wherever his gaze fell, he saw patches of red smoke. This substance was invisible to ordinary people, but to cultivators like them, this turbid worldly energy was very conspicuous.

"Our trip is solely to resolve the mullet problem; it won't take too long."

The three wandered around the city, stopping frequently. After several hours, Zhu Gang and the three demons stopped in front of a Dragon King Temple with flourishing incense offerings.

"Hmph, what Dragon King? He's nothing but a little snake that hasn't even become a demon yet."

Yingyin watched as a faint black column of smoke shot straight into the sky from the Dragon King Temple. Within the smoke column emerged a black python that roamed about, its face ferocious, swallowing wisps of red smoke. Some of its scales had turned golden, making it stand out among the black and red scales.

"Although this black snake's cultivation level is not high, its ability to absorb incense offerings is quite remarkable. This is definitely not something it possesses innately; it seems to have been guided by a master."

Upon hearing Lang Rong's words, Zhu Gang's eyes lit up, flashing with dark light, as he looked at the column of smoke. After a moment, Zhu Gang closed his eyes, then opened them again, looking at Ying Yin and Lang Rong.

"This black snake harbors a domineering Zen aura within its body, quite similar to the Demon Buddha lineage that Lord Qingshan mentioned before. I didn't expect the Demon Buddha lineage to have such a long reach, managing to arrive in Tianhua Prefecture so quietly."

"The lineage of the Demon Buddha"

Lang Rong frowned, not expecting such a turn of events. They knew a little about the Demon Buddha lineage; this sect was most skilled at bewitching people and using incense to cultivate their bodies and condense golden dharma images. However, this sect had always been located outside the realm, and they never expected to encounter it here today.

"This matter is somewhat tricky. Let's inform Tiger first and have him relay his message to Lord Aoyama. We'll make further plans once we receive orders."

Lang Rong and Ying Yin had no objections. The matter itself was strange, and if they alerted the enemy, it might ultimately harm their plans. It was best to be cautious.

After taking another look at the Dragon King Temple, the three demons quickly left, while the black snake in the Dragon King Temple remained completely unaware that its true nature had been thoroughly exposed to others.

Zhu Gang and the other two demons returned to a dense forest outside the city. They instructed the little demons left behind to be on guard. Then, they went deep into the forest, took out a communication jade talisman, and told Hu Xuan what had happened there.

"I understand. I will report this to Lord Aoyama and give you a reply as soon as possible."

After exchanging a few more words, Zhu Gang deactivated the communication jade talisman and said to Lang Rong and Ying Yin, "Without the order from Lord Qingshan, do not act rashly. Instruct your subordinate demons not to enter the city, lest they cause trouble."

Lang Rong and Ying Yin both readily accepted the order.

After receiving Zhu Gang's message, Hu Xuan immediately went to the altar to report to Lord Qingshan.

A moment later, the image of Lord Qingshan appeared on the altar. After listening to Hu Xuan's account, Lord Qingshan pondered for a moment, then said, "There's no need to worry about this. The Demon Buddha lineage won't emerge again for nearly a hundred years. Just let Zhu Gang and the others act according to the situation."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xuan was startled. Although the Demon Buddha lineage was a heretical sect, their strength was by no means weak. Currently, the only one who could suppress them was that one person. Could it be...?

Thinking of this, Hu Xuan looked up at Qingshan Jun, who seemed to understand what he was thinking and nodded.

"The Demon Buddha lineage was forced into seclusion for a hundred years by Daoist Gu Xu. Only a few people know this. It's best for you to know this yourself, but don't tell Zhu Gang and the others, lest it cause more trouble."

"My subordinates understand"

Having received confirmation, Hu Xuan felt relieved. As long as he knew that the Demon Buddha lineage wouldn't cause trouble, the rest were minor matters.

After saying a few more words, Qingshan Jun vanished. Hu Xuan bowed respectfully and left the altar. A night later, Hu Xuan was able to contact Zhu Gang through the sound transmission jade talisman.

"Lord Qingshan has issued a decree: do not worry about the Demon Buddha lineage. You may proceed according to the plan. Remember, do not use violent means to harm ordinary people. If you anger those above, they will certainly not stand idly by."

"Don't worry, we'll handle this carefully."

Zhu Gang was not a reckless person. Before coming to Anle City, they had been instructed to use a gradual approach, like boiling a frog in warm water, to gain the people's faith in him. This way, even if the Supreme Dao and the True Martial Hall knew, they wouldn't interfere. But if they acted recklessly and committed heinous crimes, that would be a different story.

"Be careful. If you encounter any difficulties, please send a message back."

"understood"

After a moment, Zhu Gang put away the communication jade talisman and said to Lang Rong and Ying Yin, "Tonight, we'll go to the Dragon King Temple and get rid of that black snake. We'll use a substitution trick. Old Wolf, I remember that among the superior beast souls the tiger gave us before, there was a red python. It'll be perfect for this."

"There is one, and the red python especially likes to devour other snakes, so it's probably fate."

Upon hearing this, Lang Rong reached out and grabbed a crystal ball, which floated in front of the three demons. Inside, a red python with alternating red and black stripes was swimming around.

"This crimson python's real name is Golden-Eyed Blood-Striped. It is a rare breed of crimson python, ferocious by nature, and possesses immense strength. It can swallow clouds and spit mist, and spew lightning and thunder. It is very difficult to deal with. Even tigers had some trouble subduing it."

"Its appearance is good; although its spirit is weak, it's perfect for control."

Zhu Gang examined it carefully and found that although the red python had thick scales that even powerful weapons might not be able to break, it had not yet become a demon, and its soul was its weakness. Lang Rong put away the crystal ball, and Zhu Gang gave the two instructions before flying towards Anle City. Meanwhile, in the dead of night, the Dragon King Temple was still bustling with incense offerings, standing out prominently in the darkness of the city.

"This black snake is utterly unrestrained; it keeps consuming incense offerings day and night without fear of being overwhelmed."

Lang Rong looked at the swollen snake body in the column of smoke and snorted coldly. "A beast that doesn't know its own mortality. Is incense so easy to refine?"

"Greed knows no bounds. This black snake is not yet intelligent, and the person behind it is only using it as a raft. This is just right. After swallowing this monstrous creature, the red python can patiently digest it for a while, and we can also free up our hands to deal with that black fish. Advancing from two directions at the same time is quite convenient."

Just as the black snake was continuously absorbing the incense offerings, it was unaware that a deadly formation had been set up on the outside. Originally, the Dragon King Temple was its territory, and its senses were clearer than those elsewhere, but at this moment, it seemed as if the heavens were obscured, without any warning.

"I have already sealed the Dragon King Temple with the Thousand Deadly Techniques to prevent its escape. You all need to act quickly and strive for a swift victory."

Lang Rong and Ying Yin accepted the order and said yes. The three demons flashed and stood in three directions around the Dragon King Temple. Upon seeing this, Zhu Gang immediately unleashed the "Black Fiend Thousand Absolute Refinement", and the black mist enveloped the area within a radius of ten feet, as if this area had been separated from Anle City.

Seeing that Zhu Gang had sealed off the Dragon King Temple, Ying Yin immediately waved his hand, and a series of feather blades slashed through the air, striking the smoke pillar. A roar was heard, and the smoke pillar twisted for a moment. Suddenly, two balls of blood light appeared in the smoke pillar, staring at Ying Yin.

"Damn beast, how dare you be so arrogant!" Without saying a word, Ying Yin swept his sleeve, and a blade ring flew out, seemingly to trap the black snake. The black snake seemed to know the power of this treasure, coiled its body, and spat out two streams of corrosive liquid from its fangs to meet the blade ring. However, the blade ring was full of intelligence, and after spinning in the air, it returned to Ying Yin's hand.

Taking advantage of the moment the black snake attacked, Lang Rong made a move. A flash of light appeared in his hand, and a spiked club shot through the air. The black snake sensed the danger and suddenly retracted the smoke column around it, trying to block the attack. However, the spiked club was incredibly powerful. With a loud bang, it exploded, the smoke shattered, and the club struck the black snake. Scales flew everywhere, revealing bright red flesh.

The black snake, severely injured, immediately roared incessantly, sending waves of sound out in all directions in an attempt to awaken the sleeping mortals.

However, this move was destined to be useless. Once the Black Thousand Absolute Technique was unleashed, those people would not wake up unless the Black Thousand Absolute Technique was withdrawn voluntarily.

Seeing that the black snake had made another foolish move, Ying Yin unleashed his Thousand Feather Blade Ring again, splitting it into dozens to attack the black snake, intending to capture it alive. At the same time, Lang Rong also raised his spiked club and struck at the black snake. With each strike, the black snake's aura weakened. Moreover, the needles on the spiked club continuously corroded the black snake's body, causing it great discomfort. Even though the incense in its body quickly expelled it, this delay allowed Ying Yin's blade ring to firmly bind it.

The black snake's eyes flashed with a fierce light. As it flickered its tongue, the incense that had accumulated in the Dragon King Temple suddenly erupted and gathered around the black snake, like a red cloud. The blade rings under the incense flames continuously melted away, but Ying Yin remained unmoved.

"We're just waiting for your move."

Upon seeing the incense, Ying Yin's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He chanted a secret incantation, and a golden light flashed around him. His personal treasure, the "Gold Melting Pot," was already unleashed. As he chanted the incantation, a brilliant golden light enveloped the Dragon King Temple. The red clouds of incense gathered around the black snake seemed to have encountered a natural enemy, and they scattered and turned into wisps of smoke that headed towards the Gold Melting Pot.

Seeing the incense smoke and red clouds around him thinning out, and his body tightly bound by the blade ring, the black snake roared incessantly, spewing out a thick, turbid yellow mist. However, this was to no avail; the yellow mist swept over and was also sucked into the molten gold pot. In the end, the black snake's efforts were in vain.

Seeing that the black snake was on its last breath, Ying Yin nodded to Lang Rong, who immediately took out the crystal ball that had trapped the Golden-Eyed Blood-Striped Python. He reached out and squeezed it, and the crystal shattered instantly. A red python about a foot long floated in the air, turned its head to look at Lang Rong, its eyes flashed red, and it opened its mouth to bite.

Lang Rong snorted coldly and chanted an incantation. The red python's body immediately twisted and contorted. After several breaths, the red light in the red python's eyes gradually faded, and a sense of submission came from its soul. Only then did Lang Rong stop chanting. With a thought, he urged the red python to head towards the black snake.

Those of the same kind are enemies. The red python had suffered at Lang Rong's hands, and now that it saw the black snake, it opened its mouth and inhaled, its body stretching out in the wind, instantly transforming into a three-zhang-long red python, covered in scales, its eyes filled with ferocity, its tongue flicking in and out, its body slithering, quickly arriving above the black snake, opening its huge mouth and inhaling downwards, a violent gust of air enveloping the black snake.

The black snake was already severely weakened, and with the blade ring restricting it, it could only unleash less than 30% of its strength. In contrast, the red python was already quite powerful, and with the help of external forces, the black snake kept wailing as the power of the other snake diminished. However, in just a short while, most of its flesh and blood had been absorbed. Just as the red python was about to devour the black snake completely, suddenly, a series of Buddhist chants resounded throughout the Dragon King Temple.

The moment the chanting of Buddhist hymns began, Zhu Gang and his two demons became alert. At that moment, they saw a point of golden light gradually intensifying from the brow of the black snake, whose head remained intact. In just a few breaths, the golden light completely enveloped the black snake. In the golden radiance, a solemn Buddha statue stood majestically, chanting Buddhist hymns, golden lotuses filling the sky, and sweet rain falling everywhere. A three-clawed golden dragon soared to and fro, emerging from the clouds and soaring into the sky, displaying the grandeur of Buddhism.

"This Demon Buddha lineage has certainly gone to great lengths to bewitch people. If I didn't know their background, I would have to bow down to them because of their celestial aura."

Lang Rong looked at the display with a mocking expression. This thing was flashy but impractical, only good for fooling ordinary people. However, it did give them a strange idea.

"Why did you three harm my Buddha's Dharma Protector without cause?"

A voice suddenly came from the Buddha statue and reached the ears of the three demons. Zhu Gang sneered and casually unleashed a black light. As it rushed into the golden light, it was instantly dissolved. However, Zhu Gang was certain that the more it was like this, the less capable it was. If it really had the power to defeat the three of them, why would it say such a thing?

Lang Rong and Ying Yin exchanged a glance, then turned their attack on the Buddha statue. The red python was already dissatisfied with the Buddha statue protecting the black snake, so it immediately opened its mouth and spat out a bloody wind and red lightning that attacked the Buddha statue. Meanwhile, Ying Yin controlled the Gold Melting Pot, aiming it at the golden lotus and the golden dragon. Under the powerful suction, the golden domain formed by the Buddha statue became unstable and showed signs of breaking apart.

Upon seeing this, the Buddha statue showed a sorrowful expression, clasped its hands together, and began chanting scriptures. Instantly, a series of chanting sounds resounded, captivating the mind. Incense gathered and condensed into auspicious clouds, connecting to resist the suction of the molten gold pot.

Sensing the incense smoke drawn into the molten gold pot, Ying Yin snorted coldly, poured in his true energy, and increased the suction force. The golden lotus clouds could not withstand it and shattered. Only the golden dragon, full of spirituality, was driven by the Buddha statue and attacked Ying Yin.

Ying Yin was about to make a move when he suddenly heard Zhu Gang's voice. He continued to control his magic weapon to fight the enemy, while Zhu Gang used the Black Fiend Thousand Absolute Refinement to continuously shrink the space. The area that originally covered the Dragon King Temple and was about ten feet in radius suddenly shrank, inevitably colliding with the golden light. Silently, the golden light was continuously eroded, and the golden dragon was also controlled by the Buddha statue to turn around and protect itself. In just a moment, most of the golden light had been gathered, with only a faint golden light remaining in the inner courtyard and about ten feet in area.

"To blaspheme against the Buddha's authority is an unforgivable sin."

With a roar of anger, a six-armed demon suddenly appeared within the Buddha statue. The originally dignified and compassionate Buddha was transformed into a sinister and evil demon.

"This is its true form; it's much more pleasing to the eye now."

Lang Rong made a sarcastic remark, manipulating the crimson python to roam around the Buddha statue. Under the corrosive influence of the bloody clouds and crimson lightning, the Buddha's light, which had already been gathered together, was instantly shattered.

At this moment, the evil image appeared, causing the creature to pause and be struck by its staff. The red python roared fiercely, its body stiffening as it coiled around the evil image.

The evil image stretched out its six arms, its eyes wide open, each holding a ritual implement. The vajra struck the red python, the canopy hung down with golden beads and necklaces to protect its body, the wisdom sword slashed at Lang Rong, the relic shot at Ying Yin, the wish-fulfilling wheel flew through the sky, spinning and swirling to transfer and digest the attacking evil yin energy, while the moonlight shovel struck towards Zhu Gang.

The six-armed evil statue wielded its six magical artifacts with ease, effectively blocking the attacks of Zhu Gang and his two demons. However, after adapting to the evil statue's attack methods, the three demons switched from defense to offense. With the combined efforts of the three demons and the snake, the six-armed evil statue was overwhelmed and unable to defend itself effectively.

Just a few breaths later, Zhu Gang shattered the Ruyi Wheel that blocked the Yin Qi of the Black Demon and the protective umbrella that shielded the Dharma Image. With the magic weapon broken, the six-armed evil image froze. Lang Rong's eyes lit up, and with a full-force strike of his wolf-tooth club, he shattered the Wisdom Sword into pieces. With a flick of his sleeve, the fragments flew toward the evil image's eyes.

Having lost three treasures, the evil spirit's strength has greatly diminished. The surrounding incense and red clouds have been completely devoured by the Gold-Melting Pot, and the dark, malevolent energy is now eroding from all directions, and will reach its chest in a moment.

Zhu Gang watched as the evil spirit retrieved the relic and pressed it to his brow. A ring of golden ripples descended from top to bottom, as if cleansing away impurities, firmly resisting the dark and malevolent energy tainted on the mountain, and even showing signs of receding.

Seeing this, Zhu Gang telepathically told Lang Rong and Ying Yin, "This fiend has run out of tricks. I'll deal with the golden dragon. You two, shatter the relic between his eyebrows. A living spirit is more valuable than a dead one."

Lang Rong and Ying Ying agreed, and the three demons split up. The Golden Dragon was entangled by Zhu Gang and it seemed that it would not last long. Meanwhile, the Evil Image was besieged by two demons and a python. In addition, with the ubiquitous dark evil energy, the six-armed Evil Image was in grave danger.

"boom"

Lang Rong's spiked club shattered the golden body of the evil statue, revealing its filthy body that emitted a pungent stench. The red python, which had been lurking nearby, smelled the stench as if it were a delicious meal. Taking advantage of this moment, it opened its mouth wide, and streams of pink smoke flowed from the damaged part of the golden body towards the red python.

The evil image roared and struck with the Moonlight Shovel and Vajra Pestle at the same time, but was blocked by Ying Yin's Thousand Feather Blade Ring halfway through. The golden dragon left its body, the magic weapon was blocked, and the golden body was injured. The evil image was already at its end. Just as it was about to self-destruct, a tearing sensation suddenly came from its head.

There, a wolf-hair needle pierced the center of the evil image's brow, shattering the smooth relic into pieces. At the same time, the golden dragon let out a mournful cry and instantly transformed into golden light, floating in the air. Zhu Gang then handed it to the red python, which readily accepted it, opening its mouth to inhale it. Its entire body immediately emitted golden light, displaying extraordinary divine power.

After a few more breaths, the evil image's body disintegrated piece by piece. Seeing this, Lang Rong commanded the red python to grow rapidly to over ten zhang in length and swallowed the evil image whole. An hour later, the red python returned to its original state and fawned over Lang Rong, scurrying around him.

Just as the evil image was being devoured, in the distant territory of the Demon Buddha lineage, the Zen Master Miaozhi, who was sitting on a lotus platform, suddenly changed his expression, opened his mouth and spat out several mouthfuls of blood. His face turned from white to yellow, and his spirit immediately weakened.

(End of this chapter)