Wet viviparity

Chapter 861 Mud Roots, Fighting Each Other
"A member of the imperial family!"

Ji Ming unconsciously looked up, as if searching for that member of the imperial family.

There are only three heavens in this world that can be called the Heavenly Family. As for whether it is the Yellow Heaven that lives in seclusion, the Old Heaven that is quiet and inactive, or the Azure Heaven that governs the world today, Ji Ming cannot know.

However, Lu Zhenjun must know the identity of that imperial family member.

If we hadn't even figured out the biggest background of the Cloud and Rain Temple, then this great calamity would never have happened. Knowing yourself and your enemy is a basic quality for engaging in combat.

However, judging from Lu Zhenjun's eagerness to deal with the evil spirit instead of leaving it behind, he was unaware of the matter of the divine mud, or at least did not know which Heavenly Family figure had instructed the Cloud and Rain Temple to use this divine mud, which seemed to be an extremely taboo matter.

The mysteries here seem to have multiplied. Ji Ming felt as if he had reached the edge of an abyss. He did not get to see the bottom of the abyss as he had hoped, nor did he get to know the whole story. Instead, he saw an even greater and more profound unknown.

His reason told him that he shouldn't explore this place; if the truth were known, people would die.

Above the rainbow, a figure only a few inches in size sat freely. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly an old Zen woman, dressed in flowing robes and belts, adorned with necklaces and a floral crown, exuding an elegant and refined air.

"Prajna Shrine Nun!"

Ji Ming's expression changed slightly, becoming somewhat solemn.

This nun Prajna is the current abbess of the Liuli Temple, a branch of the Eastern Buddhist lineage. She resides on Baotuo Mountain in Shangfangzhoukou Bay, Jinning, Baoguang Prefecture. She is considered one of the leading figures in the world's Buddhist sects. She and Zen Master Bairu of Wuxiang Temple, a branch of the Central Buddhist lineage, are revered as the inseparable beings of Buddhism and demonism.

The term "non-dual" means without distinction. This title signifies that these two individuals have used great wisdom to dissolve their discriminating mind. They are not bound by the enlightenment, compassion, and liberation represented by the Buddha, nor by the afflictions, temptations, and ignorance symbolized by the demon. They understand that the Buddha and the demon are both natural manifestations of the Dharma realm, and there is no need to reject or cling to them.

However, Ji Ming still had some reservations about this nun.

The murderer who caused Li Muru's family to be destroyed was none other than the monk Yuji, who was practicing under the tutelage of this nun. With the profound merit of this nun, how could she not have discerned the treacherous intentions of the monk Yuji?

"Greetings, Little Saint!"

The nun's body swelled, becoming the size of a normal person on a rainbow arch, and the arch beneath her became like a chair.

As if she could read people's minds, she said to Ji Ming, "There are still many entanglements and disputes over that old grudge. I suppose that blind nun has already investigated the past. You should go and find her after the calamity, and my innocence will be proven."

Then he looked at everyone and said, "It has been more than seven thousand years since the Fairy of the Green Bag borrowed Zhaoduluo, one of the twelve Yaksha generals of my temple. Now, thanks to Brother Lu for resolving this matter and returning this deity, I am also willing to come here to help the righteous path of Tiannan."

"Good!"

Master Xuanying clasped his hands together and smiled.

“I am not here in my true form. My true form is still on Mount Baotuo on the shore of the East China Sea. What you see before you is my wrathful form. If I exert my Buddha power even slightly, the two evil men nearby will surely notice.”

No sooner had these words been spoken than black and red light shot up from the depths of the nearby gorge, spreading across the sky and earth, and arriving in the blink of an eye.

Ji Ming raised his hand, and the unfinished Ruyi Spiritual Light was unleashed. The blue and black lights seemed to have never appeared before, shrinking into a ball around the two fierce creatures, looking as if they were about to be unleashed. Such power of the magic weapon made even the infant Xuan Ying Shangren's breathing quicken a bit.

In less than half a breath, the blue and black light surged out again.

Prajna nun pointed to the false mountain, where the cliffs on both sides receded at the location of the water gorge. At the same time, in the forbidden mountain water gorge, amidst a faint thunderous sound, the two high cliffs receded simultaneously, and the water poured down, instantly overflowing the broken walls and ruins.

Amidst the raging torrents, several people simultaneously used their escape techniques to soar into the air, each displaying extraordinary abilities.

As the high cliffs on both sides were moved, the earth shook and the two evil spirits, Man and Xu, were frightened and hurriedly looked towards a place in the gorge.

The place where the two villains were tense was originally in the crevice where the two high cliffs met. Now that the high cliffs and steep walls have been moved away, the thousands of acres of water have been drained away. The Five Elements Formation Diagram, which was set up according to the shape of the water gorge, collapsed on its own like a castle in the air, and a round hole was revealed below that place.

At Ji Ming's place, the nun Prajna pointed towards the illusory mountain. Her Buddhist teachings were as vast as the sea, and she was exerting herself to create a scene of clouds and mist like wisps of smoke, making the exotic fragrance in the air even more pronounced.

“Om, Amogha, Phas, Hum, Phat.”

The nun uttered the Dharani mantra, each syllable manifesting as a physical musical note that flew into the ink mountain.

The inky, artificial mountain immediately resonated more deeply with the real ancient, imprisoned mountain. An indescribable, powerful energy was forcibly drawn in and, through this miniature "form and energy" bridge, acted upon the round cave beneath the water gorge.

The earth around the round hole exposed after the high cliff was removed and the floodwaters drained groaned softly.

At first, there was only a slight tremor, but then, centered on the round hole, the land within a radius of a thousand acres suddenly arched upwards, and the deep and wide soil was pushed outwards. The rock layers that had been deposited for countless years were lifted up piece by piece by an irresistible force, like brittle crust, and the soil flowed outwards like the receding tide, revealing the ancient strata below.

Countless skeletons, decaying wood, broken ancient artifacts, small underground caves, and even some ancient Tai Sui were resolutely pushed aside at this moment.

The crack radiates outwards from the circular hole, with surging waves of earth and stone reaching tens of feet high. When they reach a distance, they mysteriously suspend themselves, restrained by the invisible spiritual ropes and Buddhist light spread out in the air by the nun, preventing them from collapsing and splashing down, forming a magnificent wall of earth and stone waves.

The cave entrance was expanding rapidly, and the view below the cave was no longer dark, deep, and unseen.

There surged a viscous, yet light, spiritual energy. Beneath this deep spiritual energy lay the mysterious and unpredictable divine mud root system within the fierce mouth, or rather, the true core of the ancient imprisoned forbidden mountain—the mud root.

An indescribable, ancient, turbid, yet boundless aura, teeming with life, burst forth from the exposed, deep earth roots, like the first breath of a giant spirit that had slumbered for millennia.

The aura soared into the sky, dispersing the dust and dirt above. A radiant yellow light emanated from the open pit, illuminating the surrounding thousand acres of land that looked as if it had been plowed by a giant plow, and also illuminating the horrified faces of the two fierce beasts, Man and Xu.

This is the Great Method of Revealing the Image and Shifting Forms, which uses a false form to destroy the true form. Only a supreme Buddhist figure like Prajna, who is about to attain the third stage of Anagami, can exert such power on this false form.

Ji Ming came to his senses and took a step back imperceptibly. At this final moment, his breakthrough was not quite enough. He was well aware of his own limitations and would not overestimate himself by becoming a vanguard.

The muddy roots were completely exposed to the light of day, and what came into view were huge, intertwined, and wriggling dark root systems.

The root system has a black, earthy texture interspersed with a yellow, oily sheen, covered with rough, raised nodules and pores that seem to pulsate as if breathing.

It is vast, ancient, silent, and vibrant. On its network of mud roots, the most striking features are two beings nourished and influenced by the mud roots.

The seven or eight zhang tall Zhao Du Luo God General lay supine on a long slope covered by a network of roots. He was half-covered by those roots, and his moonlight robe, as thin as a cicada's wing, was now shining brightly, flowing and swirling violently like living water.

The clear, bright sash hung down from behind her neck, wrapped around her unusually long arms, and its end plunged deep into the mud, as if guiding the most refined spiritual energy.

The other one, Ji Ming recognized at a glance, was Da Feng.

The Tai Sui Zhi Tong that Ji Ming once calculated was conceived in the Bingfu Cave with the image of the World Honored One as its embryo, and within it was born an ancient fierce creature—the embryo of the Great Wind. And now, there is also such a Great Wind at this muddy root, but this Great Wind seems to be inherently deficient.

The great wind before them, with its massive wings slightly spread, landed not far below and to the side of Zhao Duluo.

It is not the complete form of a giant bird; it has an appearance of undeveloped feathers and is not fully grown. It resembles a bird of prey, with its beak and claws just beginning to show sharpness, yet it exudes a sense of fragility.

Ji Ming had a spiritual sense that the appearance of this great wind must be related to Tai Sui Zhi Tong, and that this great wind should be the last of the four evil spirits of Yunfu. Its long absence from the public eye may be due to its innate deficiency.

"How did they get here? And how did you two manage to protect this place?!"

With the howling of the wind, a raging hurricane rose up, accompanied by a rumbling sound, like a surging sea, thunderous drums, and an earth-shattering roar.

"The time has come!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan suddenly waved his fan, and the swarm of mosquitoes that had sucked the blood dry rushed towards the fierce wind god under the mud roots. At the same time, he, along with the nun Prajna and the Venerable Xuanying, used their escape light to rush towards the two fierce gods, Man and Xu.

Ji Ming was a step behind and joined the formation as well.

He heard Lu Zhenjun's voice, "I will deal with the full Divine Infant. The False Divine Infant is outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and its energy flow is not smooth. It should be dealt with by the Divine Nun and the Venerable together."

You and Xiaoyuan should lure away the two great apes, Heixing and Huangyou, who are disciples of the Monkey King. Both of these ape demons are skilled in swordsmanship; one is good at hiding, and the other is good at changing their appearance. They have also learned barbarian techniques from the strange people of the barbarian village. You and Xiaoyuan must be careful in dealing with them.

If there's enough time, go to the base of the mud to provide support; don't intervene rashly.

The two fierce enemies, Man and Xu, saw that the enemy was coming instead of fleeing, which was exactly what they wanted, so they immediately went to meet them.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, the illusory mountain rose into the sky. Lu Zhenjun, holding up the mountain, smashed the Man Shenying who was charging at the forefront, sending him flying a hundred miles away. The remaining people from both sides then engaged in a tacit battle.

Ji Ming and Zhang Xiaoyuan pounced on the two apes that had transformed into Daoists. Zhang Xiaoyuan took the lead, let out a long roar, transformed into a roc, grabbed one of the demonic Daoists by both shoulders, and flew away in the blink of an eye.

The remaining sorcerer's eyes met Ji Ming's immediately. The sword he was holding exploded into a hundred strands of light, dancing in the air. When the sorcerer saw the Ruyi in Ji Ming's arms, his expression froze. The next moment, he saw the other party transform into divine energy, dodging the clump of sword strands, and whistling away to the side.

"Go away!"

(End of this chapter)