Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 532

Looking at Xuanzhen's appearance, A-Li touched the pocket with the painting on the mountaineering pack with her fingertips.

Once I get home, I don't need to modify the painting; I can simply insert it into my sketchbook frame.

At this moment, the girl's eyes were gentle, and she had a comfortable feeling of having her obsessive-compulsive disorder satisfied.

In Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, this scene showed that Xuanzhen's current state was extremely bad.

Because Xuanzhen is a person who values ​​appearances, which is a common problem for all those who are good at disguising themselves. They cherish that false identity. If given a choice, Xuanzhen would not reveal his evil side so thoroughly.

It's like that hand, manipulating things from the shadows, first adding unnecessary details, then simplifying things, and finally, when it deems it appropriate, bringing everything back to its origin.

This is the aesthetic of the Way of Heaven summarized by Li Zhuiyuan.

Whether it's the earlier "Code of Conduct for Traveling Along the River" or the current "Secret Scroll for Tracing Ancestral Journeys," this term appears repeatedly because it's not just about aesthetics, but also about the embodiment of rules: there's no trace of direct intervention, but when looking back at the overall picture, its unique artistic conception can be ruminated upon.

At this moment, the bone seam between Xuanzhen's eyebrows split open, and his third eye began to move.

Everyone present felt a sense of familiarity.

Lin Shuyou thought to himself, "So, the three eyes have been using this to look at me all along."

Tan Wenbin thought to himself, "It's nothing, he's just checking if you've picked up any bad habits like smoking or drinking."

Xuanzhen first looked at Runsheng through the crack in the gate of life and death, his eerie light condensing; then at Lin Shuyou, his brows furrowing slightly; then at Tan Wenbin, his facial features becoming complex.
He looked at Ah Li and relaxed at first, but when he noticed the blood porcelain bottle in the girl's hand, his jaw twitched slightly.

Finally, when looking at Li Zhuiyuan, the first reaction was that the boy's body was too clean, so clean that there was not even a trace of martial arts practice. But after taking in the pendants on the boy's body and the jars of soul energy sealed in the boy's backpack, Xuanzhen began to grind his white teeth.

He uttered a deeply repressed question:
"Who exactly is the evil spirit?"

Outside, a masked monk and a mad monk have been keeping me trapped in the gray fog for so long, making me sacrifice so much of my Buddhist nature, saying they don't want this evil spirit to have the opportunity to become a Buddha.

It's a pity those two are dead, otherwise Xuanzhen really wanted to bring them over, lend them the crack in the gate of life and death, and ask them some questions.
What the hell is evil?!

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is a philosophical question."

Xuanzhen: "You also think they're ridiculous, right?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and replied:
"I don't like you, so I'm stopping you. What does it have to do with whoever is inside?"
"If they like the people inside and stop you, what does it have to do with who you are or what you are?"

If the masked monk wanted to stop Xuanzhen from becoming a Buddha, he would stop him. He wouldn't stop the evil spirits outside just because there was a "meeting of evil spirits" inside.

The mad monk was repaying a favor from Ah Li's grandfather. He seemed crazy, but he was actually very shrewd. He had the ability to squeeze into the courtyard but didn't, because once he entered, the relationship between the two sides would become delicate. No matter how many times he recounted his past relationship with Lord Qin, Li Zhuiyuan would not believe him.

The water in the rivers and lakes is inherently murky, and it is precisely because of this that the occasional splashes of water, reflected in the sunlight, appear even more captivating and sparkling.

Anyway, Li Zhuiyuan remembered Shangyun Temple.

Xuanzhen's entire skeleton began to rub against each other, the remaining decorative human skin was completely peeled off, and the gap between the gates of life and death enveloped him as he assessed his condition.

"Unfortunately, if Sun Boshen's rules weren't targeting me, you little guys wouldn't stand a chance against me. You really got a great deal."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Why would the rules target you for no reason? Using the rules reasonably is also a skill, not taking advantage of others."

Xuanzhen's early encounter with the monks of Qinglong Temple was a trap set by Li Zhuiyuan to turn the tables. By killing the three hollow monks here, Xuanzhen was forced to bear all the subsequent pressure outside. It can be said that since then, Xuanzhen has been fighting all the way, and half of the competing monks have been killed by him, which has greatly weakened Xuanzhen's condition.

Xuanzhen: "You're really suited for Buddhism. Even the most virtuous monks can't debate scriptures as well as you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It was just something I felt compelled to say."

If there were truly absolute fairness in this world, I wouldn't have had my lamp lit prematurely on the day of my initiation ceremony. Instead, I could have grown up slowly with Ah Li, and then, after we came of age, we could have held hands and strolled along the river together.

Xuanzhen: "Even so, according to my calculations, your probability of winning against me is less than one in ten."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I think it's a 50/50 chance."

Xuanzhen: "How was it calculated?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's either you or me who dies."

A thoughtful look flickered in Xuanzhen's ghostly eyes, and the crack in the gate between life and death seemed to be spinning as he tried to determine whether the boy knew something.

But when he observed the boy through the crack in the door that allowed him to see through people's hearts, he felt an unprecedented obstacle.

Zhao Yi has a lot to say about this. If he could see through the mind of those who manipulate young men, why would Young Master Zhao need to call out "ancestor" so many times?

"Hehehe..."

The profound aura overflowed, but what poured out first was not the terrifying pressure, but the thick stench of blood from the journey.

Runsheng held the Yellow River shovel, ready to pry open; Lin Shuyou spread his arms slightly, placed his two maces on the ground, and lowered his center of gravity.

Tan Wenbin lit a cigarette, exhaled a puff of blue smoke, and set up a simple miasma barrier, while also clearing away the smell of blood.

Xuanzhen moved.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Defense."

Without the pagoda and the golden bowl, his Buddhist nature was severely damaged, leaving him with no choice but to adopt a fighting style more suited to evil spirits: a direct confrontation.

This is the best possible outcome for Li Zhuiyuan's side under all the favorable conditions.

Runsheng raised the Yellow River shovel to block, Lin Shuyou came to the rescue from the right, Tan Wenbin unleashed the power of the Blood Ape and entered from the left, and the blood porcelain bottle in A Li's hand shattered and floated in front, condensing into a large fish.

Li Zhuiyuan activated the dragon-patterned compass in his palm, and the evil dragon flew out to enhance it, bringing forth a powerful formation that provided the large fish with "living water," allowing it to swim with ease.

"boom."

A collision, like the start of a game of billiards.

The formation broke down, the big fish fell back, Runsheng slipped, and Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou were thrown away.

Xuanzhen's Gate of Life and Death spun rapidly as he made the quickest decision. Ignoring the others, he leaned forward and charged out again, aiming directly at Li Zhuiyuan, aiming to capture the leader first.

Even though it's the final battle, this guy is still pursuing cost-effectiveness.

This wasn't just a matter of habit; Li Zhuiyuan had guessed Xuanzhen's concerns.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Counterattack."

While flying backwards, Lin Shuyou tapped his backpack with his single mace, shattering the inner box and ejecting talisman needles that pierced his body. His ghostly energy surged to a new level, and with a burst of power from his waist, he spun around like a wheel, his double maces leaving afterimages as he crashed down on Xuanzhen.

Four bound phantom spirit beasts appeared behind Tan Wenbin, his fingertips pressed against his brow, his five senses were awestruck!
Ah Li's hands moved faster, forming hand seals. As the large fish turned into scales that fell off, it quickly condensed into a zombie. The zombie's aura was even stronger than when it was summoned last time, because its joints had special adhesions. This was thanks to Xuan Zhen's contribution.

The evil dragon crashed into the dragon-patterned compass, its rotation speed so fast that it almost appeared to stop to the naked eye.

Li Zhuiyuan was multitasking, creating a situation while simultaneously casting spells into the compass, which were then absorbed by the evil dragon inside.

One after another, ghostly gates appeared, the intent of the formation and the feng shui flowed together, and an even more powerful formation crashed down.

Runsheng, who had been keeping pace with Xuanzhen during the retreat, opened his vents fully and slammed the Yellow River shovel upwards.

In the blink of an eye, even with the red thread, Li Zhuiyuan didn't have time to assign tasks to everyone as he used to. He could only give a general instruction, leaving the rest to each person to figure out on their own.

Even the highest numerical values ​​need to be honed through actual combat. After the battle with the three monks of Qinglong Temple, the entire team not only recovered from their injuries, but their level of teamwork improved significantly.

No matter how many times you practice in the training ground, it's just a matter of accumulating quantity. Only in life-or-death battles can a qualitative change be brought about.

The team performed exceptionally well this time, but the expected heavy blow did not materialize.

Xuanzhen: "Okay, you've got 20% now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a green light flashed in Xuanzhen's eyes, and his entire skeleton appeared to be translucent and emerald green.

Lin Shuyou's golden mace, Tan Wenbin's intimidation technique, Runsheng's shovel, A Li's zombie, and the array released by Li Zhuiyuan all "stuck" to this skeleton.

The skeleton is like a spring; after being compressed to a certain extent, it suddenly expands.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Everyone was once again bounced away in the "education for all" principle.

Li Zhuiyuan's formation scattered, most of it collapsing to the ground; the compass also fell to the ground, and the evil dragon burrowed into the earth.

Lin Shuyou reversed his direction, braced himself with one hand, blinked his vertical pupils, and the phantom of the White Crane Boy appeared, while the chest of his divine body shattered.

This was an offensive that failed to be launched and was forcibly suppressed, but the internal injuries that should have been borne by Ayou were transferred by the boy himself.

"Boy?"

Ayou felt that he could bear the injury, or at least each of them could bear half of it; the boy didn't need to be so extreme as to bear it all.

"It's alright, I'm just a cog in the machine!"

Tan Wenbin crashed into a pillar, his eyes becoming dry as he slid down. However, as the chains behind him, radiating Buddhist light, tightened, the backlash was shared equally with the four phantom spirit beasts behind him.

Ah Li crossed her hands, her fingertips trembling, which prevented the zombie from falling apart as before, and instead allowed it to be re-secured by the adhesive between the gaps.

Runsheng turned the shovel around and launched it downwards. He immediately dropped the shovel, freeing his hands, and grabbed Xuanzhen's ankle to stop him from continuing to charge forward and threaten Xiaoyuan.

Xuanzhen stomped one foot down.

"boom!"

With Runsheng as the center, the ground sank, and half of Runsheng's body was also stepped into the ground, but Runsheng's hands still did not let go.

Without a doubt, in terms of individual combat strength, Xuanzhen is much stronger than Kongxin, but Kongxin's terrifying magic poses a greater threat to Runsheng. In terms of physical confrontation, Runsheng can withstand a few more moves, or rather, endure a few more blows.

Xuanzhen stomped down again.

"boom!"

This time, Runsheng was completely shoved into the ground, and his hands loosened.

But Tan Wenbin and Ah You also returned to the battlefield, and the zombies rose up again.

Xuanzhen gripped the golden mace with his left hand and the rusty sword with his right. Facing the oncoming zombies, Xuanzhen charged headlong into them.

Pure physical confrontation, absolute physical dominance.

After once again sending those who were interfering with him flying, Xuanzhen abandoned his plan to go straight for Li Zhuiyuan. Instead, he bent down and put his hands into the ground.

The next moment, Xuanzhen grabbed Runsheng by the neck and lifted him up from the ground.

Runsheng was surrounded by an aura of death, his eyes were pitch black, and he was struggling violently.

Xuanzhen's arm trembled incessantly, yet he continued to suppress Runsheng. He raised his other hand, clenched his fist, and a terrifying force condensed on his white bone fist as he smashed it down towards Runsheng.

Ah Li quickly switched, the tattered zombie melted, revealing the face of the Dream Ghost. The girl closed her eyes, while the Dream Ghost opened its eyes.

Liu Yumei could wield a sword and imbue Qin Shu with power, but Runsheng could only teach her by personally guiding her through dreams.

A familiar feeling washed over him, and having learned from his previous experience, Runsheng immediately succumbed to drowsiness.

Normally, Runsheng can even control the volume of his snoring when he sleeps, which can be considered as training.

In this state between dreaming and waking, the Qin family's movement techniques were revealed.

In his profound perception, what he was holding was no longer a living person, but a hand full of slippery dragon skin.

Runsheng did not break free from Xuanzhen's restraints, but he turned his head to the side, just in time to dodge a punch that was enough to blow his head off.

Ah Li opens her eyes, the dream ghost closes its eyes, and the smooth folds of the brain leave Run Sheng no time to think about distinguishing between dreams and reality.

Runsheng clung to Xuanzhen's skeletal arms, raised his legs and wrapped them around Xuanzhen's waist in a simple and unadorned encircling motion.

This isn't the Qin family's movement technique, but rather a move taught by Uncle Shan to deal with someone who's already dead.

Lin Shuyou charged back again, with Tongzi selflessly acting as a cushion. He was knocked away repeatedly, but his physical condition remained good.

Tan Wenbin, his body shrouded in blood, also rushed over, but he deliberately slowed down a little compared to Lin Shuyou, who understood.

Xuanzhen, who was restrained by Runsheng, wanted to throw another punch at Runsheng, but due to the threat behind him, he had to turn around and sweep at Lin Shuyou first.

Lin Shuyou didn't fight head-on, but quickly changed his move, crossing his two maces in front of him, willingly becoming a punching bag and being smashed away again.

With Ah You's cover, Tan Wenbin was able to get close. Instead of thrusting straight in, he stabbed upwards with his rusty sword. After it went in, the rusty sword stood up and supported Xuanzhen's bones, which was equivalent to adding another fixation to Xuanzhen's skeleton.

Xuanzhen was gathering his strength, his bones contracting, intending to sweep away all the people and things that were entangled with him.

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan hooked his index finger upwards.

The thorny dragon, resembling a pangolin, flew out through the opening where Runsheng had been stepped into. The remnants of the formation that had scattered into the ground provided cover for the dragon's close-range attack. This time, it was not black, but rather a colorful patchwork of hues, a result of the spells the young man had imbued it with.

The most appropriate way would be for the evil dragon to continue upwards and attack Xuanzhen's third eye between his eyebrows. Although the distance would be short, it would be easy for things to go wrong if it dragged on. Li Zhuiyuan did not choose to be greedy and instead ordered the evil dragon to burrow into Xuanzhen's skeleton from under his feet.

Next, various halos flashed, indicating the surge of magic, followed by the eruption of resentment from Tan Wenbin's rusty sword.

This tactic will inevitably affect Runsheng as well, but to consider that now would be to betray Runsheng's efforts.

Xuanzhen had no choice but to release his grip on Runsheng and waved his arms wildly, causing waves of air to surge, shatter the stone slabs, and fill the sky with dust.

Lin Shuyou stood up again. After the Ghost General mark beneath his headband flashed, the boy spoke:

"Spirit medium, I can no longer protect you. You'll have to take the damage yourself from now on."

The boy is now so weak that he is transparent. He has drained himself to the weakest level of a lonely ghost. If he is damaged any further, he will be unable to maintain the power conversion and will not even be able to perform the functions of his parts.

Lin Shuyou raised his double maces and charged into the haze.

The boy was bewildered. His actions were intended to "please" the spirit medium, but after doing so, he tasted a bitterness. If the spirit medium could open the gates of the True Lord and the General, and have another Yin God to assist him, then the spirit medium's defense and absolute power would both make a qualitative leap, and he wouldn't have to fight so hard.

I... shouldn't be so selfish.

Tan Wenbin's resentment was injected into the rusty sword on a large scale, which gave the four spirit beasts behind him greater freedom. They did not consciously want to rebel, but the high intensity of the battle made them instinctively resist. Fortunately, the Buddha Light Chains once again played a role and forcibly pulled them back to the chariot.

"Awe-inspiring to the five senses!"

Blood flowed from Tan Wenbin's eyes, as did the four spirit beasts behind him. Before the dust settled, Tan Wenbin cast a spell to intimidate them.

The presence of smoke is an assumption that the enemy is not in serious trouble.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

Two roars were heard, one from Xuanzhen and the other from Runsheng.

Xuanzhen was already in a rage when Tan Wenbin ignited his anger. Runsheng was in a better position. Although the intimidation technique was indiscriminately injected into the smoke, even when it landed on Runsheng, he didn't feel much.

When the sound of Lin Shuyou's golden mace piercing the air rang out, Runsheng knew how to dodge. This allowed Ayou's combo to hit Xuanzhen completely. After a series of violent blows, Xuanzhen's bones bent downwards, but he still reached out and accurately restrained Ayou's body. The contraction of his five knuckles caused Ayou's bones to bear intense pressure.

Runsheng charged forward like a bull, his shoulder slamming into Xuanzhen. He wrapped his arms around Xuanzhen's waist, but instead of throwing him to the ground, he pushed him back a few steps.

At this point in the fight, neither side displayed any graceful moves; it was more like a brawl between thugs who, as long as they weren't dead, would get up and keep fighting.

Xuanzhen realized he had made a mistake; he shouldn't have started by trying to capture the leader first, which resulted in him being surrounded and attacked by the enemy.

The main problem is that all the opponents he faced along the way wanted to eliminate him, a powerful competitor, so that they could have a chance to become Buddhas. No one was really going to die together with him from the start, but these people wanted to exchange injuries and lives with him right away!

It seems you really think this is the final battle.

But it's not that whoever lives to the end becomes a Buddha; that's just getting a chance to compete for a position. Not to mention, there are still those cunning birds that haven't even appeared yet!

Xuanzhen raised his elbow and slammed it down on Runsheng's back, who was holding him.

"boom!"

The sound of bones shattering came from Runsheng's body. The aura of death rapidly poured out, supporting the reconstruction of his bones and muscles, and continuing to maintain the confinement.

Xuanzhen raised his elbow again.

Ah Li's hair flew wildly, and she slammed her right hand on the ground, causing blood to spill out and form a runic hinge.

The dream ghost lunged at Xuanzhen, then switched to the Corpse-Driving General midway, locking Xuanzhen's arm from behind.

Tan Wenbin stared wide-eyed, and the four phantom spirit beasts behind him roared. His intimidation technique was further enhanced, causing not only the green ghost fire in Xuanzhen's eye sockets to flicker, but also the gate of life and death between his brows to become disordered.

The evil book spread out, quickly covering the ground, its pages spaced apart like an open chessboard.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand as if holding a chess piece, and the feng shui energy above rapidly descended to form a vortex, waiting to follow the boy's move.

This was Luo Xiaoyu's special skill. While teaching him, Li Zhuiyuan also gained some insights from his student.

With this move, Li Zhuiyuan is aiming for Xuanzhen's brow, sealing the gap between his life and death!

"Buzz!"

The red threads binding him to his companions were pulled, causing the Xuanzhen Gate of Life and Death to crack open, revealing a bloody mess. This was the red threads spreading outwards, turning against the boy.

As expected, in terms of deductive reasoning, Xuanzhen was superior to Kongxin. Kongxin could only partially conceal himself to reduce the impact of Sun Baishen's rules on him, while Xuanzhen, if he hadn't gone too far that time and actively provoked the rules, could have completely avoided the rules by hiding the golden ring scar in the crack of the Gate of Life and Death.

Last time, Li Zhuiyuan set a trap for Kongxin, who jumped in and used the red thread to send false instructions; Xuanzhen, who was even more skilled in this, was able to launch a counterattack against Li Zhuiyuan along the red thread.

Li Zhuiyuan thought to himself: Original body, you should take another nap.

Deep within his consciousness, the original being stood on the dam of Li Sanjiang's house, looked up at the cracked sky, and nodded.

Xuanzhen: "Life and Death Seal!"

He was reluctant to use this move, as it would cause great damage to his life-or-death gap, but now he had no choice. If he delayed any longer, these people would only reduce his condition even further.

Xuanzhen: Alright, your consciousness can now subside.

As a result, the boy's hand holding the chess piece still fell, and the feng shui vortex above gathered and fell down, like a waterfall that had shrunk to its extreme, crashing into the crack of the Xuanzhen Gate of Life and Death.

"what!!!"

Xuanzhen felt dizzy and his perception of the world dimmed. What he found even harder to accept was that even though the powerful secret technique had been successfully executed, why could the boy continue to cast spells normally?

If Li Zhuiyuan can see Zhao Yi after he returns this time, he will talk to Zhao Yi about the later stages of the Gate of Life and Death, which is indeed terrifying.

The powerful seal, which seemed to ignore any struggle, left even someone as profound as Li Zhuiyuan momentarily at a loss as to how to resist it.

The main body wanted to hold on, but it failed and went into a slumber... What does this have to do with his inner demon?

The successful placement of this piece marked the turning point of the game.

The situation has been completely reversed, now evenly matched.

This time, without any preamble, Xuanzhen's bones rapidly contracted and then quickly expanded, releasing scalding heat in all directions.

"boom!"

Even Li Zhuiyuan, who was outside the core battle zone, had to open his domain to protect himself and A Li inside, preventing them from being overturned or burned.

The heat came quickly and dissipated just as fast, as if quieting down the entire Pudu Zhenjun Hall.

At the edge, Runsheng got up. He had been closest to Xuanzhen earlier, and now his whole body was also burned, with obvious charring. However, as Runsheng shook, the black scabs kept falling off, exposing the tender pink flesh inside.

Lin Shuyou staggered to his feet, blood gushing from half of his body. One of his golden maces had fallen to the ground and he couldn't pick it up. He could only support himself with one hand on the other golden mace to maintain his balance.

Tan Wenbin was in a better position; his intimidation technique allowed him to create distance. He was standing on the rooftop, but his snake eyes were exhausted, and the two-headed python behind him had already fallen silent.

The area around Xuanzhen was now a white expanse, with a tall bone tower standing there. Xuanzhen himself was protected inside, but both the bone tower and Xuanzhen inside had cracks appearing on their bones.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What percentage is it now?"

Xuanzhen: "Fifty percent."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It seems my calculations were correct?"

Xuanzhen: "I'm finally sure, you didn't understand what I meant."

Xuanzhen reached out and grabbed the crack between his eyebrows, the point of life and death that Li Zhuiyuan had severely injured.

"puff!"

The white bone fingertip pierced in, followed by a raw digging.

This scene reminded Li Zhuiyuan of when Zhao Yi severed the gap between life and death, but Xuanzhen's actions did not mean that he suddenly realized he wanted to take another path.

Xuanzhen dug out the seam between the Gate of Life and Death, along with the surrounding ring of white bones. Then, he clenched it in his hand, his finger bones tightly compressed, forming a physical barrier seal.

"Now, you are the only one here who still has a Buddhist vow. Prepare to receive a massive influx of Buddhist nature. I will grant you Buddhahood!"

Li Zhuiyuan sat cross-legged in front of A Li. The girl took out a silver needle, held it between her fingers, and pierced it into the back of Li Zhuiyuan's head.

After doing all this, the girl put her hand on the boy's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Zhao Yi used to do this kind of thing often; he was just using his brain for a bit.

Aside from not being able to engage in close combat, the girl has a wide range of abilities, and she can adjust her role according to the specific situation.

One, two, three... Li Zhuiyuan kept summoning the phantoms of the Ghost Gate. The array intent and feng shui above continued to merge and accumulate. If there was no need to pursue time and efficiency, Li Zhuiyuan could suppress the frequency of his soul power usage as much as possible and accumulate it by quantity.

Xuanzhen looked up, first at the sun overhead, then at the gray mist surrounding the area, and let out a sinister laugh:
"Hehehe, you're actually preparing to become a Buddha?"

Xuanzhen's gaze was fixed on the girl beside the boy. He had already planned that when Huang Que appeared, he would rush over and kill the girl first. Huang Que's target would only be the boy.

Runsheng spread his hands, opened his valves, and sucked the Yellow River shovel from afar back into his palm.

Tan Wenbin used his fingernails to cut open his left and right arms, and blood gushed out.

Lin Shuyou coughed lightly, pulled out the golden mace from the ground, and barely managed to stand firm. An eerie silence descended upon the once fiercely fighting battlefield.

The green light in Xuanzhen's eyes gradually became thinner, and he was puzzled.

They wondered why the sun overhead had not yet set, and why the entity that had been hiding in the gray fog had not yet appeared.
Li Zhuiyuan continued to diligently accumulate the number of Ghost Gates, a scenario that would never occur in a normal game, but he encountered it this time.

Surprisingly, the opponent suddenly stopped attacking and switched to defense when they had a powerful formation master on their side, waiting for the formation master to calmly set up the formation.

The dragon-patterned compass was now jammed and making cracking sounds because the array was piled up too heavily, indicating that its internal structure was overloaded and severely damaged.

Ah Li leaned forward, one hand on the boy's back, the other holding a can of Jianlibao (a popular Chinese herbal tea brand), her chin resting on the boy's shoulder, and her eyes closed.

She used everything she had left to help the young man complete this powerful, rapidly unleashed formation.

Yes, for the first time in Li Zhuiyuan's case, the instant-cast array could be described with the prefix "accumulated strength".

Xuanzhen's slender green light swept rapidly around him, and his unease intensified.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I've always known how you calculated it. Your probability means you have to retain 50% of your strength to deal with the last unexpected event before you become a Buddha. Are you waiting for those birds to pounce?"

Xuanzhen: "You know?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, I've always known."

Those yellow birds refer to the group of rebellious True Lords who disappeared here.

Xuanzhen looked at the boy's subordinates, then at the boy whose head was pierced by silver needles:
"How could you possibly know? And if you do know, how dare you?"

If you use secret techniques to push yourself and your subordinates to the brink of exhaustion, what will you use to deal with them when you become a Buddha?

Previously, when facing the siege outside, the masked monk and the mad monk did not make a move. In Xuanzhen's judgment, these two should also know. However, after seeing the masked monk's choice, he may not have known. But the mad monk must have known. The mad monk knew that there were others in the gray fog, waiting to be the last to pounce.

That's why the Mad Monk was unwilling to leave the game prematurely, but instead continued to conserve his energy, because he knew this was not the last battle.

Xuanzhen initially thought that Li Zhuiyuan also knew, but Li Zhuiyuan's all-out, desperate fighting style from the start, with no intention of holding back against that final threat, gradually made Xuanzhen waver. After all, actions speak louder than words.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Because in my plan, this is the final battle."

Xuanzhen: "You didn't come here to become a Buddha. You came here only to stop me from becoming a Buddha?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You overestimate yourself. Before I came here, I didn't even know that there was such a high monk as you at Faping Temple."

Xuanzhen prepared to open the bone tower on his body, but when the terrifying pressure from the array above his head began to weaken, he had no choice but to close the bone tower again.

Initially, he chose to defend, waiting to let the bird in unnoticed. Now, he has given the other party the opportunity to unleash their full potential at their leisure, and he has no choice but to defend.

Xuanzhen: "When I rushed into this hall, I could clearly sense their presence in the gray mist, so why aren't they coming out now?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Because even if you manage to temporarily reseal that golden ring scar by digging a crack in the gate between life and death, there is still more than one golden ring scar remaining here."

In some underground corner, there lies a person, his breath faint and on the verge of death, his Buddhist nature barely clinging to a trace, the golden ordination scars barely preserved.

Upon hearing this explanation, Xuanzhen Ghost Fire's eyes immediately widened.

He couldn't understand why Li Zhuiyuan would leave another competitor there without killing him. He was prejudiced from the start, and when he saw the courtyard, he was certain that there was only one golden ring scar inside.

Xuanzhen: "Your deductive reasoning ability has actually reached this level?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I noticed that you were saving your strength for later from the beginning, but I really didn't expect that when I finally managed to bring the score to 50/50 and we could flip a coin... you would actually retreat and wait for the oriole to fall."

The boy still felt a little regretful.

Although Xuanzhen had been severely weakened when he entered the battle, Li Zhuiyuan still wanted to fight hard to achieve final victory. However, Xuanzhen's cleverness backfired.

Xuanzhen felt it wasn't worth it, so he wanted to summon Huang Que to come in early and have Huang Que fight him to the death. He then calculated his remaining strength and easily defeated the winner between himself and Huang Que, thus attaining Buddhahood.

He was very decisive when he dug a hole in his own life-or-death situation, because he was afraid that Runsheng and the others' state wouldn't last long enough to bring him the best results.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You really resemble an old friend of mine, only in the old form of that old friend."

Inside the Tulou in Guizhou, facing the situation where all his men were seriously injured, Zhao Yi struggled with his inner turmoil, but ultimately suspected a trap and dared not kill them.

This is probably a common problem among those who possess the Gate of Life and Death: they are too calculating and unable to let go of gains and losses. Xuanzhen is even more extreme than Zhao Yi back then. He fought his way in while still calculating what he had left.

Okay, we're almost done setting up. We can't add any more. If we do, I'll lose control of the situation.

"Do it!"

Runsheng charged forward with the Yellow River shovel, using all his strength to pry it open into the gaps in the bone tower, hoping to create a better foundation for Xiaoyuan's formation below.

Lin Shuyou rushed over, swung his golden mace, and used all the last of his and the boy's strength to smash the shovel handle.

"boom!"

The shovel went deeper, widening the gap.

Tan Wenbin arrived, his arms splattering with blood. He released the seal within his body and poured all the remaining resentment into the gap.

One person makes a hole, another hammers it, and yet another pumps air into it.

This doesn't feel like a battlefield; it feels more like a construction site.

Xuanzhen inside the Bone Tower hadn't expected that the way his opponent broke through his defenses would be so simple and unadorned.

The final strike, combining the strength of the three, had its effect; the bone tower emitted a series of cracking sounds and tilted noticeably.

Runsheng grabbed Tan Wenbin with his left hand and Lin Shuyou with his right. He sprinkled lightning talismans, which touched his own calf. The lightning talismans reacted with the aura of death and exploded.

As Runsheng was blasted away, he also took his two companions with him and they were thrown off. If they didn't leave soon, the three of them would be crushed into mincemeat by Xiaoyuan's attack.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and waved it downwards.

For the first time, he enjoyed himself so much and fulfilled his spiritual desires. In the past, when he was at home, Li Zhuiyuan would never have specifically trained in this kind of technique, thinking that he would never encounter such a fool who would passively stand and take a beating.

In an instant, all of Li Zhuiyuan's soul power was drained from his body, and his consciousness became blurred.

This powerful formation crashed down.

The bone tower held firm for a moment, but soon began to crack irregularly. Then the bone tower collapsed completely. Xuanzhen, inside the bone tower, looked up and saw what looked like a small-scale collapse of the sky.

"boom!"

Li Zhuiyuan had no time to appreciate the scene he had created himself. A deep weariness swept over him. He hadn't completely collapsed this time, but he was instantly drained. The boy grabbed the drink can that the girl had prepared for him before she fainted.

Holding it in my hand, I reached out to open the pull ring. The first time, I couldn't pull it; the second time, I still couldn't pull it; the third time, not only could I not open it, but I also broke the pull ring off myself.

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan was unsure whether it was because he was out of his mind and exerted force incorrectly, or whether the seal on the can of beverage just happened to be faulty.

However, each can of Mingjia brand beverage is pre-sealed and ready to drink upon opening. If it is opened in advance and left to sit, it would give impulsive Mingjia people time to think, and the beverage would easily expire.

There wasn't enough time to grab a second can, and the boy's fingers weren't strong enough to open a beverage can without a pull tab by hand.

With an overwhelming sense of absurdity, Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and closed his eyes.

After the dust settled, the central area of ​​the entire courtyard of the Pudu Zhenjun Temple had sunk, as if a layer had been smoothly excavated away.

Everyone was either lying down or sitting, completely still.

"Snapped!"

Deep underground, a clenched fist rested on the edge.

Immediately afterwards, a white skeletal skull emerged, its fragmentation resembling that of a hastily assembled set of building blocks from a child's toy. Moreover, only the head, one shoulder, and part of the arm remained of the skeleton; the rest of the body was completely obliterated.

The ghostly fire in Xuanzhen's eyes was so weak that it could go out at any moment, but he still crawled with his only remaining arm, step by step toward the location of the boy in front of him.

He wanted to kill the boy; he wanted revenge.

In truth, at this point, the meaning of revenge has vanished. Now, he is as weak as a low-level skeleton that has just crawled out of the underworld, and a severely mutilated one at that.

Even if the boy were killed, in his current state, let alone dealing with those True Lords, even if he were allowed to safely receive the indoctrination of Buddhahood, he would have no chance of winning in the competition for the position of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

But he still wanted to kill the boy. Killing him would prove that he had won, and at least in terms of the outcome, it wouldn't make him look like a clown.

Crawling, crawling, crawling... Closer, very close.

The boy was already unconscious. He only needed to gently pierce his heart with his bony finger, and he would die!
"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

Two sets of talismanic armor flew out of the boy's pocket and, upon landing, transformed into the two generals, Zengsun and Zengsun.

The two generals, one adding and one subtracting, shouted excitedly in unison:

"Officer! Evil spirits are to be killed, not saved!"

It was impossible not to be excited. For so long, the two brothers had watched themselves slide from the main force on the battlefield to the cheerleaders and then to the stretcher bearers.

This time, he was finally able to step in at the crucial moment, protecting Qinlong and turning the tide!
Upon seeing the appearance of the two generals, Zeng and Sun, the faint ghostly fire in Xuanzhen's eyes transformed into a straight line.

"Evil spirit, die!"

General Sun took the lead, leaping forward and plunging his sharp spear into Xuanzhen's already badly damaged skull.

"boom!"

The head shattered, and the will-o'-the-wisp disappeared.

The cracked bone hand that had been tightly gripping loosened, and the hastily dug-out crack between life and death rolled out, opening up to reveal the golden ring scars inside, which quickly faded and dimmed.

"Hahahahaha!"

General Sun rested his left hand on his hip, raised his spear high in his right hand, and let out a long, hearty roar from the stage.

As he continued whistling, General Sun noticed that the stage was somewhat empty, so he turned his head to look.

They discovered that General Zeng was squatting next to the boy, using the edge of his armor to cut open the mouth of a beverage can and feeding the boy the drink.

General Sun: "You treacherous and wicked dog!"

Enraged, General Sun charged forward, brandishing his spear and roaring. Halfway there, the boy opened his eyes and looked at Him.

General Sun froze, even he himself felt that he looked like he was trying to do something unethical while the Lord was unconscious.

"Bang!"

As soon as the spear was thrown away, General Sun immediately knelt down on one knee, his whole body trembling, his armor clanging.

General Zeng: "Brother Xiao Yuan, that evil spirit has been executed by General Sun."

Upon hearing this, the kneeling General Sun felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, even though everyone argued, there were still limits. General Zeng wouldn't glare at him angrily and ask, "What do you intend to do?"

General Zeng is unaware of General Sun's inner thoughts. If he did, he would only be amused and annoyed. How could he have twisted the truth in front of this man? He might as well have joined him in a real rebellion.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up with the help of General Zeng. His gaze fell on the crack of the Gate of Life and Death next to Xuanzhen's bone hand. The crack was dug out with the bone base intact, like a flower transplanted with a pot.

Entering the hall, Li Zhuiyuan pointed to a corner.

General Zeng: "Move it aside."

General Sun stepped forward, tore open the seal, and removed the inner barriers. Yayoi, buried deep underground, slowly raised her head and said in a hoarse and weak voice:

"It seems that you have won, senior. It was worth it for me to stay here and chant sutras for you until now."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It is effective."

General Sun carried Yayoi out and placed her in front of the boy.

"Senior, it's time to settle the debt."

"Didn't I say we'd owe it to you for now?"

"As instructed by the senior, the deposit should make up the majority of the cost of this job, and the debt cannot be owed for too long, otherwise it will be very difficult to get it back."

"Are you afraid I'll renege on my debt?"

"I was just listening to what the older generation said."

"I won't renege on your debt. I have money, plenty of money."

His "money" is currently hanging high in the sky.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You all go wait outside."

The two generals, one for the new general and one for the vanquished, replied: "Your humble servant obeys!"

Li Zhuiyuan took out a pre-made small offering table and opened it. After the incense burned by itself and the offerings were fragrant, the boy chose one of the three from the shelf and pulled down the portrait of the Fengdu Emperor.

Immediately afterwards, Li Zhuiyuan pulled out a piece of yellow paper, picked up a brush from the groove in the table frame, dipped it in the ink stored in the wine and other liquids, and wrote a sentence on the yellow paper:

"Please, Master, help your disciple attain Buddhahood."

After writing, throw the yellow paper into the brazier.

The yellow paper burned quickly, and the ashes flew out, landing on the small offering table and coalescing into a single character:

【allow】

What can mislead the profound is the behavior of a young person.

However, the truth is that Li Zhuiyuan didn't care at all about what state he was in when competing with the Bodhisattva for a position.

The young man doesn't need to fight for this position himself; he only needs to obtain the legal principle that he can proclaim.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Yayoi and nodded, saying, "Go into demonic possession. I'm going to start paying you back."

Yayoi placed her hand on her chest, stroking the red envelope inside through her ribs.

"Senior, may I ask you for another red envelope?"

"In Nantong, this custom is only performed by younger generations who are visiting for the first time."

"Ugh……"

"Haven't I already put my heart into your heart?"

"Thank you for your enlightenment, senior."

Yayoi exerted a slight force in her palm, and a faint wisp of demonic energy enveloped the red packet inside her ribs, causing it to ignite.

As the red envelope turned to ashes, the last remaining trace of Buddhahood in Yayoi's right eye extinguished, and the golden ordination scar on Yayoi's head also dimmed at the same time.

The golden ring scar on Li Zhuiyuan's palm became the only one at that moment.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The solemn bells rang.

The enormous sun in the sky descended, its lowest point first transforming into a golden waterfall, then into a small river, and finally converging into a stream that flowed into the boy's body.

"hiss……"

This was only the beginning of a massive amount of Buddhist nature, but because it had accumulated so much, Li Zhuiyuan already sensed that the abundant Buddhist nature within his body was running rampant. Once he received some more, he would begin to create a golden body for himself.

Completely possessed by demonic energy, Yayoi's demonic nature rapidly grew, but because it had been parched for so long, her natural recovery at this moment only slightly moistened her lips.

However, this did not prevent the clear killing intent that emanated from Yayoi's eyes as she looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

"Wow!"

To the left of the portrait of the Emperor of Fengdu, the portrait of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva falls down on its own, the Bodhisattva's appearance solemn and dignified.

At the same time, a tornado suddenly appeared in the gray fog outside, and a terrifying aura emanated from it.

The two generals, Zeng and Sun, who were standing outside the hall, leaped to the courtyard wall and stood at the forefront of the distance from the gray fog.

The two generals never expected that they would have so many scenes to perform on stage this time.

General Sun, holding a sharp spear, and General Zeng, raising a torch, shouted in unison:
"Official general, evil spirits will only be killed, not saved!"

As soon as the song ended, a second tornado appeared, followed by a third, a fourth, and a fifth...

The two generals, one for each side and one for each side: "..."

Beneath each tornado, there was a dark figure. They were the predecessors of the official generals, the true lords who had once followed and then betrayed Bodhisattva Sun Baishen.

When Li Zhuiyuan came here last time, he did intend to take away the magical artifacts from the True Lords, and preferably strip them of their clothes and armor as well. After all, they were a bunch of rebels, and Bodhisattva Sun probably wouldn't mind.

But Sun Boshen said that touching them would break the seal, and they would absorb the polluted merits that permeated the area and turn into demons.

Now, these traitors have become demons, and they are all hiding in the gray mist. Or rather, they are the ones who guide the gray mist to shrink under these rules.

When Li Zhuiyuan first entered the area to investigate, he came to the conclusion that Sun Baishen's rules were unimaginably simple and crude, yet incredibly practical.

If these rebellious True Lords were to take control of the Gray Mist, from their perspective, even if it were for their own sake to easily eliminate the victor and steal the fruit of Buddhahood, they would deliberately divide and disintegrate those powerful, united Buddhist groups in the early stages.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

Amidst the roars, a face emerged from the gray mist—the long-deceased Pudu Zhenjun. His appearance, especially the meaning in his eyes, was exactly the same as the Bodhisattva on the small altar.

The next moment, so many terrifying auras surged rapidly toward the Pudu Zhenjun Temple.

This is the mantis that Xuanzhen had been waiting for. He originally planned to hide in the bone tower and watch the mantis fight and wear down Li Zhuiyuan and the others.

The two generals exchanged a glance, and both read the same meaning in each other's eyes: they were determined to kill the enemy, but powerless to reverse the situation.

To facilitate control and profit-taking, the official generals had been greatly weakened by the Bodhisattva. In terms of individual strength, they were no match for the previous generation of True Lords who relied on bloodline inheritance. Even the two generals, Zeng and Sun, had been modified by Li Zhuiyuan and their cards were moved into the Fengdu Shaojun Mansion. However, the group in front of them were not True Lords of the previous era, but rather evil demons who had absorbed the corrupted merits.

General Sun: "It's over..."

General Zeng shouted, "This humble general is determined to fight to the death!"

General Sun didn't understand. What's the use of shouting this now? What time is it? Why are you still trying to show your loyalty?
Inside the hall, Li Zhuiyuan, whose body was filled with golden light, extended his fingertips forward to bless Yayoi.

This Buddha-nature is the capital that should have been used to compete with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for the position of Buddha, but young man, you don't need it.

Unlike Li Zhuiyuan's ordinary body, which required a vast amount of Buddhist nature to be carefully poured into it, Miyo was born a Buddhist. Although her body was currently damaged, it had been severely impacted by the demonic nature of her "masters" inside the Demon Suppression Tower, which opened up a large area.

Within the vast demonic body, the demonic nature had dried up, making it perfect for containing this vast amount of Buddha-nature.

The stream moved away from Li Zhuiyuan and flowed into Yasheng's body. Then, there was no more care, no more pity. The caution was only directed at Li Zhuiyuan, the only successful one. Towards others, it was a brutal pouring.

The Buddha-nature that descended from the heavens quickly transformed from a stream into a small river, a large river... and finally into a surging waterfall.

This is extremely dangerous. If Yayoi cannot withstand it, Li Zhuiyuan will be instantly hit by this tidal wave of Buddhist energy and explode in an instant. There will be no time to find a second replacement. Among the people Li Zhuiyuan knows, only Yayoi can take on this task.

Yayoi turned around and looked at Li Zhuiyuan. The murderous intent in her eyes was gone, revealing Yayoi's original emotions. But soon, these emotions fluctuated.

Demonic tendencies can lead to self-loss, while Buddhist tendencies can elevate the self. They may differ in their methods, but both can erase the self.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Let's go and use up some resources first, take care of the sparrows outside, and then go back to Qinglong Temple to use the Demon-Suppressing Tower to level the score again."

Yayoi nodded.

A golden Buddha image rose up from his body.

On the small altar, to the right of the Emperor of Fengdu, the scroll of Bodhisattva Sun automatically pulls down, standing shoulder to shoulder with the real Bodhisattva!

Yayoi, carrying a golden waterfall, arrived at the roof of the Pudu Zhenjun Temple. Her Buddha-like eyes swept across the gray mist in all directions. She opened her palm and her staff flew back into her hand.

The two generals, Zeng and Sun, couldn't help but look back. The dazzling Buddha light and the figure that looked like the true Buddha had descended made them feel as if they had returned to the days when they stood under the Bodhisattva's seat.

Inside the hall, Li Zhuiyuan murmured:
“Xuanzhen, this is the method I use to deal with Huang Que.”

The golden ring scar on the boy's palm shimmered, and he acquired Sun Baishen's half-Buddha status, officially beginning the struggle for the position of Bodhisattva.

In an instant, Li Zhuiyuan's eyes lost their luster, and his consciousness was pulled into chaos.

Without the infusion of Buddha-nature, without the protection of a golden body, his condition was still extremely poor after a fierce battle.

In the very first moment of the battle, Li Zhuiyuan was completely at a disadvantage. The lotus mark between his eyebrows had barely begun to appear before it stopped, and the golden ring scar on his palm quickly faded.

This competition seems to have only just begun, but the outcome will soon be revealed, and the boy's soul will vanish with his defeat in this competition.

But at that moment, the golden ring scar, which was about to go out completely, suddenly lit up, and it was the kind of light that flickered on and off, then lit up and then dimmed again.

Fengdu Hell.

The suit of armor that had been sitting in the Yellow Springs fell down the Yellow Springs and crashed into the depths of the underworld.

The tomb owner was the first to help Li Zhuiyuan secure the Bodhisattva position!

"Boom! Boom!"

Then, a deafening roar echoed throughout the underworld, the earth shook, and all the ghosts wailed.

Although the Great Emperor of Fengdu has temporarily lost the ability to interfere with external affairs, within this underworld, the Great Emperor is still the Great Emperor!

A towering, unimaginably majestic body.
Lift your foot,
He stomped down towards the eighteen levels of hell below!

(End of this chapter)