Longzang

Chapter 317 I Can't Lose
Streams of pale red sword energy danced back and forth in the arena, dreamlike and ethereal. The tangible aura of immortality made everyone subconsciously take deep breaths, as if doing so would allow them to advance their cultivation to the next level.

The female swordswoman desperately tried to defend herself, but the sword energy of the immortal sword pierced through her time and time again. Her magic robes, protective spells, and defensive magic treasures were all as fragile as if they didn't exist. Only the greatsword in her hand could offer some resistance, but it couldn't stop the sword energy that moved as fast as lightning.

In an instant, the sword energy returned to Wei Yuan's hand, then transformed into a pale red petal before slowly dissipating.

A wave of regret and lamentation immediately swept across the high platform, with many people's hearts filled with sorrow. Several upright and respected officials whispered among themselves, unaware that their words had already been clearly heard by Wei Yuan, who possessed supernatural abilities.

"How could such a precious object fall into the hands of a mere child? It is truly a waste of a gem!"

"With such meager skills, how can one be worthy of handling a celestial artifact? It should be handed over to someone of high moral character and prestige; that is the proper course of action."

"He obtained this item from the Western Regions, which were originally part of our Great Jin Dynasty. I believe that this item may have been obtained through dubious means!"

"Old Master Sun is right. We should submit a joint petition tomorrow, demanding that he hand over the magical artifact and verify its origin. If it is indeed his, then it will not be too late to release it!"

"These are wise words, very good!"

Wei Yuan suddenly looked up and gazed in that direction. The old men felt that Wei Yuan's eyes were unusually bright, their hearts pounded, and they all sat up straight, ceasing their whispers.

Wei Yuan glanced at the seating arrangement and immediately knew that everyone at this table was of the third rank.

……

The female swordsman was instantly critically injured and collapsed to the ground, losing all feeling in the area around her wounds. Looking down, she realized that the skin and flesh around her wounds were white and lifeless.

But her eyes still held a stubbornness, refusing to admit defeat. She struggled to her feet, barely managed to lift her greatsword, and staggered toward Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan stood still, only stomping his foot once. The training ground trembled, and the female swordsman's legs went weak, collapsing headfirst in front of Wei Yuan. She struggled to lift her head, then used her limp hands to prop herself up, swaying as she stood up again.

She had only raised the greatsword halfway when she couldn't bear its weight and was pulled down.

"I can still fight, I haven't lost yet..." she kept telling herself, trying to stand up again. Suddenly, a pair of boots appeared in front of her. She slowly looked up and saw Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan said calmly, "You were injured by a celestial object, and this injury cannot be healed. Consider it a punishment for you. You can keep your left arm."

The female swordswoman tried to stand up, but fell again. Finally, she gripped her sword with both hands, using it to support her body, and managed to stand. She bowed to Wei Yuan, then dragged her sword step by step towards the edge of the training ground.

A bald man with a fierce face and menacing features walked out of the training ground. He was extremely tall, a full head taller than Wei Yuan.

He strode into the training ground and blocked the female swordsman's path. Upon seeing him, the female swordsman began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Useless!" The man grabbed the female swordsman, using his palm as a blade, and with a single stroke, blood flashed, and the female swordsman's left arm was severed!
He tossed the female swordsman off the field as if she were a tattered rag doll.

The man kicked the female swordsman's arm, sending her crashing down in front of Wei Yuan with a thud. He then said, "A bet's a bet, this is an apology to Lord Wei. Now it's my turn to challenge you!"

Wei Yuan closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and then slowly opened his eyes, saying, "Didn't you hear me say that I don't want her arm anymore?"

The man smirked, revealing a sinister grin, and said, "Of course I heard that. But a promise is a promise. Since you want this arm, then of course it must be cut off."

Wei Yuan glanced at the arm on the ground, then looked up and said, "What makes you think you have the right to challenge me?"

The man was taken aback upon hearing this, then a murderous glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "I am a disciple of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land who has entered the mortal realm. My name is Shan Kai, and I have cultivated to the point of immortality. Is that enough qualification?"

Wei Yuan sneered: "You are a nobody with no rank or grade, just a wandering cultivator. If you can challenge a second-rank official just because you are a disciple of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land, then wouldn't disciples of the Primordial Beginning Palace be able to challenge super-rank princes and dukes at will?"

The man said coldly, "Lord Wei, are you perhaps afraid?"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "No, it's you who are not worthy."

Enraged, the man shouted, "I am also a person of name and surname in this generation of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land! Now that the Holy King is here, and all of you are present, as long as Lord Wei dares to accept my challenge, you may name your conditions, and I will agree to them all!"

Wei Yuan finally looked at him and said calmly, "If you lose this battle, chop up your corpse and feed it to the dogs."

The room fell silent; no one had expected Wei Yuan to make such a request.

Shan Kai laughed three times and said, "What if you lose?"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "I can't lose." Shan Kai burst into wild laughter again, his voice shaking the mountains, and said, "Very well, very well, what a fine 'can't lose' statement! I accept!"

Wei Yuan finally gripped the Immaculate Pure Land, and with a slight tremor, the spearhead quivered violently, emitting a dragon's roar.

Dan Kai took several steps back, each step covering several feet, and then golden light shone from his body, revealing a golden body!
The high-ranking officials on the platform were all well-informed and knowledgeable. Upon seeing the golden statue, one of them exclaimed, "This is the image of Acala! This...this is not just a physical form, but it surpasses even the physical form!"

Wei Yuan didn't recognize the golden statue at first, but after hearing the officials on the high platform talk about it, he remembered it. The Great Treasure Flower Pure Land has a special kind of foundation that can manifest the forms of Arhats, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Wisdom Kings, Rakshasas, etc., and when one advances in the future, one will realize the corresponding Dharma form.

However, only one person in this world can achieve this kind of spiritual foundation. For example, if a certain Arhat's image is still alive, no one else will be able to cultivate into that Arhat.

Shan Kaidaoji is the Immovable King, and is indeed a top disciple in the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land.

The fusion of the Immovable King's golden body with Shan Kai caused his entire body to glow with golden light, and every move he made caused the training ground to tremble. He grinned maliciously and said, "King Wei sent me to give you his greetings!"

“King Wei, ha…” Wei Yuan looked Shan Kai up and down, who had merged with the golden body of the Immovable King, and suddenly appeared in front of him, his Pure Land of Immaculate Purity piercing straight into his face!
With a resounding clang, like the tolling of a great bell, Wei Yuan and Shan Kai parted ways.

Shan Kai wrapped his arms around his face to protect it. At this moment, his sleeves were shattered by the overflowing Dao power, revealing two arms that looked as if they were painted with gold lacquer.

Dan Kai looked at his arm and saw a white spot on it, with a slight break in the skin at the core.

"Lord Wei, your spear is a bit weak!" Shan Kai grabbed at the air with both hands, one hand holding a vajra and the other holding a four-sided mace.

Just as he was about to rush towards Wei Yuan, he suddenly saw that Wei Yuan had a crimson sword in his hand, which was then attached to the front of the Immaculate Pure Land with a click!
What kind of weapon is this? Although Shan Kai didn't know what the strange weapon was after being pieced together, he knew that the red one was an absolute immortal sword! How could Wei Yuan have a real immortal sword? No one had ever told him about this before!
Unlike the golden body of the Ming King, which is most afraid of immortal swords like the Void-Slaying Sword, renowned for their sharpness, the Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword is in no way inferior to the Void-Slaying Sword in terms of sharpness alone!
Just as fear began to rise in Shan Kai's heart, Wei Yuan appeared beside him and thrust his spear forward!
Dan Kai cried out in pain. In the critical moment, he used his arm to block the attack, but ended up with a deep gash on his upper arm, which was almost pierced through!
Dan Kai gasped in shock. The sword was incredibly sharp, and its celestial aura was unmistakably real! He considered retreating, intending to rely on his Immovable King Golden Body to withstand a few more blows before leaving the training ground.

The moment he had the thought of retreating, Wei Yuan immediately sensed it. All the insights he had gained from studying swords over the past few days came to mind, and his Dao power was like a waterfall cascading from the heavens, instantly disappearing to the bottom!

Countless Wei Yuan appeared around Shan Kai, and countless crimson immortal swords pierced his body at the same time. Then, the Wei Yuan instantly retreated and stood still more than ten feet away.

Dan Kai stood frozen in place, slowly raising his hand to point at Wei Yuan. Suddenly, one of his fingers fell off, followed by his entire hand detaching from his body and falling to the ground. Two streams of blood gushed from his eyes, then his golden body shattered, and a ray of light burst through the top of his head, instantly disappearing into the sky.

That was the legacy of Fudo Myo-o. After Shan Kai's death, it returned to the heavens to await the next destined one.

Dozens of jets of blood spurted from Shan Kai's body as he fell forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

At this moment, Wei Yuan had exhausted all his Dao power, his hand holding the gun trembled slightly, and a layer of fine sweat seeped from his forehead.

Shan Kai is also a late-stage Immortal Foundation cultivator. At the same level, within the Tai Chu Palace, he is only slightly inferior to Xiao Yu, and comparable to Sun Yu and Yu Zhizhuo. Moreover, many inherited Dharma forms of the Great Treasure Flower Pure Land manifest in special ways at the Dao Foundation stage, such as the Immovable King Golden Body, which further enhances combat power. Therefore, in terms of combat strength, Shan Kai is no less than Xiao Yu.

Wei Yuan used the sharpness of the Scarlet Night sword, at the cost of instantly depleting his Dao power, to deliver nearly a hundred consecutive blows, shattering Shan Kai's Immovable King Golden Body before finally killing him on the spot.

But by this time, Wei Yuan was already quite weak and could no longer conceal it.

The stage was silent. No one expected that a prominent figure among the younger generation of Da Bao Hua Pure Land would die so quickly at the hands of Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan took a breath, and his Dao power began to slowly recover. But this recovery made some people restless.

Suddenly, a shout rang out from the stands: "I am Xu Wuji, and on behalf of the military governor, I extend my greetings to Lord Wei!"

Wei Yuan turned his head and saw a beam of blue light shining on him. On the platform, sitting next to Yunxiang Jiedushi Lü Wenbai, a figure that had transformed into light was rushing towards Wei Yuan along the blue light!
This attack was as swift as lightning and as powerful as thunder. Moreover, it was so powerful that ordinary formations and defenses were useless against it. It could even pass directly through the heavy shield wall!

Xu Wuji was leaping between reality and illusion, ignoring defenses, and could reach Wei Yuan in an instant, making him an extremely formidable assassin. He was aiming to take advantage of Wei Yuan's weakness to launch a sneak attack.

In Wei Yuan's eyes, a point of light was flying towards him at an incredible speed along the blue line, but he remained motionless, simply watching that point of light.

The voices on the high platform were still echoing when Xu Wuji, transformed into a beam of light, reached within three zhang of Wei Yuan! From within the light, a blade appeared.

Suddenly, a clanging sound, like an ancient tripod or a large bell, was heard, causing a slight dizziness.

Suddenly, a tall warrior appeared in front of Wei Yuan. No one saw how he appeared, and he stood right in front of Xu Wuji. Xu Wuji was flying at full speed when he crashed into the warrior, his head covered in blood. He was now staggering backward as if he were drunk.

Xu Wuji's flying attack could pass through solid objects like walls, but only those that hadn't been refined. A Dharma Aspect cultivator's body is a unified whole, so how could he possibly pass through it? This attack was essentially Xu Wuji testing the Dharma Aspect body with his head; the fact that his neck bone didn't break on the spot already showed how strong his physical body was.

He wiped the blood from his head, both shocked and furious. Seeing that the warrior had remained motionless since his appearance, he vanished, and a beam of light struck Wei Yuan again. But just as Xu Wuji disappeared, the warrior reappeared, blocking the beam of light once more.

(End of this chapter)