Day and night tour

Chapter 476 Seeking Only Defeat

"The third rule will give you a surprise."

Zhou Xuan smiled slyly.

He had his own plans, but on the other hand, he was filled with rage.

Before the play even began, just based on two rules, they had already caused the deaths and demotions of their people, resulting in devastating losses.

"If the fight to the death begins, I'm going to kill you."

The Calabash Taoist glared at Zhou Xuan with resentment and said fiercely, "Just killing him isn't enough."

"If Zhou Xuan falls into my hands, I will torture him severely, cut off his hands and feet, use the iron hooks for dogs to pierce his face, and drag him through the streets for three days."

He had already devised every vicious trick he could think of in his life, and was just waiting to kill Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan ignored the hostile gazes. He waved his folding fan and chatted and laughed with Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun beside him.

As for the Taoist priests who offer incense, neither the Calabash Supreme nor the Medicine Buddha could see this person's figure.

The holy eye in the sky began to blink again.

"Without rules, there can be no order; without rules, how can it be a battleground?"

"The third rule, the arena stage, will release the stage's power, which everyone can absorb to increase their combat strength."

"May you all, with the blessing of the stage, break through your own peak and dominate the arena."

Upon hearing about the new rules,
The gourd-shaped Taoist priest was stunned on the spot. This rule not only did not deplete their cultivation, but even had a beneficial effect.

The stage provides a powerful momentum, significantly enhancing everyone's combat strength.

"What trick is Zhou Xuan up to?"

"Heh, Zhou Xuan has gone mad. Everyone has the boost to their morale and their combat power is rising, which means that no one has improved at all."

As the Purple Ox Taoist spoke, he became somewhat smug. Suddenly, he remembered his own situation and said with even greater joy,

"Brother Calabash, Zhou Xuan made a foolish move this time. I just had my incense offerings reduced, becoming a pseudo-nine-stick incense stick, but now, the momentum will make up for it."

"I've burned nine incense sticks again!"

These words seemed to awaken the man from his dream. The gourd-shaped Taoist priest suddenly understood something, clenched his fist, and said bitterly,

"This Zhou Xuan is so cunning, he actually came up with such a rule. Zi Niu, don't be happy. The stage raises the level of incense offerings for everyone, and the one who benefits the most is still Zhou Xuan."

"That can't be right. Everyone can absorb that energy, and everyone's incense and combat power increase is exactly the same. Why should Zhou Xuan benefit the most?"

“We were already above the Nine Incense Sticks level. Even if we were to increase our strength further, we still wouldn’t be able to change anything. But think about Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang… Their incense-based combat power has already reached the level of sitting at the eighth level and aiming for the ninth. They are just one step away from reaching the Nine Incense Sticks level.”

“That’s Yun Ziliang of Nine Incense Sticks, Zhou Xuan of Nine Incense Sticks… not you, you silly ox of Nine Incense Sticks!”

The gourd-shaped Taoist scolded him, and the purple ox Taoist's face turned pale. Yes, what is the concept of Zhou Xuan, who is nine incense sticks long?
That is invincible within the same realm.

What does Yun Ziliang, who burned nine incense sticks, mean? He was a figure who was once invincible in the Daoist world.

"I'm starting to think about protesting the rules of this stage."

Purple Ox Taoist's words further enraged Calabash Taoist—Fool, this is their territory, their rules are theirs, why are you protesting? Who are you going to appeal to?

I thought it was a horse race in the prefectural city, where fairness and impartiality were paramount?
Once the gourd-wielding Taoist understood, the Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva naturally came to her senses as well. She immediately rebuked Zhou Xuan, saying, "You despicable people from the Well Kingdom, how dare you harbor such crooked thoughts!"

Zhou Xuan pointed to his temple and said with a smile, "Pharmacist, we Jing people are not despicable, we are just good at using our brains. You Buddhist people are very powerful, you are the muscle-bound people in the starry sky, but... you have too many muscles, they've crammed your brains full."

"..." Medicine Buddha.

To say that the Medicine Buddha was very dissatisfied with this third rule, which seemed to be much fairer than the first two, actually laid the foundation for Zhou Xuan's invincible position tonight.

Yun Ziliang, the engineer, and Li Changxun were incredibly excited and impressed after Zhou Xuan announced his third rule.

The exciting thing is that with this rule in place, neither the Medicine Buddha nor the gourd Taoist can turn the tables.

What I admire is how Zhou Xuan came up with such a rule.

This rule can be considered the first overt conspiracy of the night.

"Master, how did you come up with this rule?" Li Changxun asked.

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Initially, we wanted to use the rules to suppress everyone's offerings, so that I could dominate the battlefield with my unparalleled strength among those in the same realm."

However, there are two risks. First, if I lower my cultivation level completely, I might not be able to use "Human God of Drama".

Secondly, the people of the Buddhist Kingdom don't offer incense. If they weren't bound by this rule and their cultivation level weren't lowered, then we'd have to use eight sticks of incense to defeat the people of the Nine-Turn Buddhist Kingdom... We wouldn't be able to win.”

"Therefore, I won't suppress their cultivation levels; I'll raise them. Everyone's cultivation level will increase a little. They were originally at the Nine Incense Sticks level, so raising it won't make much difference. But if Old Yun and I increase our incense-based combat power, then..."

Li Changxun clapped his hands together and said, "Brilliant and mighty, Great Master, I can't wait to go and kill those Buddhist people and the Unyielding Master."

"That's perfect, let's begin the deathmatch."

As Zhou Xuan spoke, blood flowed from the eyes of countless audience members on the stage.
The power of stage rules and prohibitions, in essence, comes from the countless audience members.

The presence of the audience gives meaning to the stage.

It is precisely these ordinary people, who are usually looked down upon by gods, Buddhists, and the Heavenly Fire Clan,
Each of their individual strengths may be insignificant within the Kingdom of Jing, but when they come together, they accumulate into a powerful force capable of imprisoning even the gods.

The blood and tears that streamed from the eyes of every spectator dripped into the arena, hovered in the air, and then suddenly exploded, forming an extremely dense blood mist that completely obscured Zhou Xuan, the Medicine Master Bodhisattva, the Calabash Taoist, and everyone else who was to participate in the deathmatch.

Within that blood mist, Zhou Xuan unleashed his full perception, yet he still couldn't sense the presence of that "fake incense-offering Taoist priest."

"My senses can't even penetrate this layer of blood mist? And that fake incense?"

Zhou Xuan was confident in his powerful perception, but since he couldn't gauge the true strength of the fake Taoist priest, he dared not rashly discuss strategies for the upcoming duel with Li Changxun and Yun Ziliang.
"We have to resort to the most basic and safest methods."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Xuan strained his eyes to their limit and, through the blood mist, spotted the indistinct figures of Yun and Li.
He walked over slowly, and with his fingers, he wrote a line on Yun Ziliang's back: Old Yun, don't make a sound. In the upcoming battle, feign defeat.

Upon recognizing the writing, Yun Ziliang quickly turned around.

He knew Zhou Xuan very well and knew that Zhou Xuan would not remain silent unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, he did not make a sound and wrote a line on Zhou Xuan's chest: Why?
Zhou Xuan: Our real opponents are not the Medicine Buddha or the Supreme Master of Dunjia.

Yun Ziliang: Who is that?
Zhou Xuan: The incense-burning Taoist priest, that incense-burning Taoist priest, is a fake.

After a moment of silence, Yun Ziliang wrote four simple words on Zhou Xuan's Taoist robe: "I understand."

Zhou Xuan felt a warmth in his heart. This was a true friend. He didn't bother asking any unnecessary questions.

He then wrote on Yun Ziliang's back: When the Supreme Master of Dunjia beheads you, do not dodge; if you are destined to die, then die.

Yun Ziliang was even more confused now—too much defeat was bad enough, but to have to throw away one's head? Didn't the life of the Dragon-Seeking Taoist count as fate?
But he still wrote four words on Zhou Xuan's Taoist robe: I understand.

He trusted Zhou Xuan and knew that the feigned defeat and death were not real. Given Zhou Xuan's character, he would risk his life himself rather than let his old comrade fight first.
Therefore, Zhou Xuan's strategy must have had its reasons.

Zhou Xuan wrote another sentence to Yun Ziliang: "Li Shanzu is also going to be defeated and die. Go and inform him."

After sensing these words, Yun Ziliang went to find Li Changxun in the blood mist.

Zhou Xuan continued to sense things within the blood mist.

"Big Tree, Second Tree, we've been hiding you for so long, it's time for you to make your move."

In the first rule of the play, Zhou Xuan wrote, "Each side shall not send more than four people to fight."

However, the rules only apply to people, not to trees. When Zhou Xuan entered the stage, the Zhou family's ancestral tree and the peach blossom ancestral tree had already entered the stage, but they had remained hidden underground and had not been discovered.

A long willow branch and a peach blossom branch stretched out towards Zhou Xuan, indicating that they were still there.

"Ershu, your method is 'enhancement'."

"Big Tree, your method is the 'Tree Gate'."

"So here's the question, Ershu, if you strengthen the big tree, can the tree gate of the big tree take Lao Yun and Li Changxun away from the stage?"

Zhou Xuan asked.

The willow branches trembled slightly, and on the thorns of the branches, two words were written on Zhou Xuan's palm: "Okay."

"Then when the time comes, take Lao Yun and Lao Li away. As for me, you don't need to worry about me."

"With my new understanding of the magician, once I enter the stage, I am no longer myself; the real me is the stage."

"As long as the stage is not destroyed, I will not truly die."

After Zhou Xuan finished giving his instructions, the branches of the willow and peach trees disappeared back into the ground and never reappeared.

……

Within the blood mist lay a wealth of stage energy. As Zhou Xuan, Yun Ziliang, Li Changxun, and Liu Taozu were plotting, the Supreme Masters of the Dunjia and the Five Styles of the Buddhist Kingdom were greedily absorbing this energy.

They were afraid that if they didn't inhale enough, their fighting power wouldn't increase enough.

Finally, when all that momentum had been absorbed, the blood mist dissipated.
The ferocious beasts in the arena roared in fury, and the eyes in the sky closed.
A chilling, murderous aura was already palpable.

Zhou Xuan, Yun Ziliang, and Li Changxun stood with their hands behind their backs.

The Medicine Buddha and the Gourd Taoist exchanged a glance.

"Medicine Master, in this deadly battle, only one side can escape. However, we can join forces first to kill Zhou Xuan, Yun Ziliang, and Li Changxun."
"How about we settle things once their side is completely wiped out?"

The Calabash Taoist was the first to make a "request for cooperation" to the Medicine Buddha.

The Medicine Buddha said with a smile, "Gourd Taoist, that's exactly what I was thinking. Moreover, this stage was created by Zhou Xuan. If he dies, the stage may also be destroyed, and we may not have to fight anymore."

A tacit understanding was formed in an instant.

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest was immediately in high spirits and cupped his hands towards Zhou Xuan, saying, "Zhou Xuan, you have gone too far in bullying us. Now is the time to settle old scores and avenge wrongs."

"What's the point of talking to Zhou Xuan? If you don't come up, I'll make my move first."

Of the three Buddhas of the Buddhist realm, apart from Bhaisajyaguru Bodhisattva, the only ones still alive are Li Jing (the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King) and Vajrapani (the Guide of the Buddha).

Of the three Buddhist beings, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had the most fiery temper, and his appearance was also the most bizarre among the three.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had no neck, but his head was held in his hands.

"The Heavenly King of the Buddha Kingdom, who holds the Pagoda, wishes to learn a move or two from the great master of Mingjiang Prefecture."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King suddenly stood still, his feet shifting slightly. He muttered incantations, and the head he was holding, which had been holding closed eyes, suddenly opened them as the incantation was recited.

"Heavenly King Holding a Pagoda" style.

The head opened its mouth, and the voice was as loud and clear as a great bell.

As this roar was uttered, a golden statue hundreds of feet tall appeared behind the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

The golden-bodied figure, holding a pagoda in his hands, with golden eyes and golden armor, threw the pagoda towards Zhou Xuan.

With a shift in form, Zhou Xuan retreated dozens of feet away and said, "So it turns out that the Five Styles of your Buddhist Kingdom are different from those of the people of the Buddhist Kingdom. Those people of the Buddhist Kingdom cultivate their own golden bodies, while you... are giant statues formed from your divine souls."

"Your eyesight and comprehension are both superb, but what use are they? The Vajra Reception Method."

A Buddhist man with a bulging belly and festering sores all over his body suddenly fell asleep like a drunkard.

As soon as he fell to the ground, an Arhat holding a moon disc appeared beside him.

Luo Han was shirtless and somewhat thin, but his steps were incredibly fast; in just an instant, he flashed in front of Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan tried to teleport again, but the Vajra of Guidance was like a persistent, entangled pest, clinging to Zhou Xuan relentlessly.

"Master of Mingjiang Prefecture, I've heard you can teleport. I, Vajra Guide, also possess unparalleled speed. Let's see if you can evade me."

One Vajra and one Heavenly King attacked in quick succession, forcing Zhou Xuan to dodge and neutralize their attacks.
Li Changxun conjured a whirlwind, while Yun Ziliang unleashed nine large dragons from his Taoist robe to aid Zhou Xuan.
The two of them had barely taken a step when the four elders blocked their path.

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest bowed to Yun Ziliang and said, “Mr. Yun, three hundred years ago, you swept through the Taoist sect. At that time, I had just entered the Dunjia Mountain Sect. After hearing your legend, I took you as my idol and dreamed of becoming a glorious figure like you.”

“I would never dare to idolize a despicable person like you who betrays his grandson and daughter-in-law and seeks personal gain by informing on others.”

The Calabash Taoist's expression changed, but he didn't step aside. He addressed the Purple Ox, Red Pill, and Banana Taoist, saying...
"My three junior brothers, stop Li Changxun. Today, I want to face off against Mr. Yun."
Three hundred years ago, you were the foremost Taoist master; now, I am the supreme master of the Dunjia School. Let's have a contest and see who is superior.

"Then try it."

Yun Ziliang was not afraid of the challenge from the Calabash Taoist. He used the Dragon-Step Tiger-Step technique and attacked the opponent in a very strange way.

When it comes to the methods of the Dragon Seeker, it's not just about his strange movements. Yun Ziliang's greatest ability is to utilize the terrain of mountains and rivers.

As he walked, the ground around him kept cracking and rising, then like layer upon layer of high mountains, rushing towards the gourd-wielding Taoist priest.

Simultaneously,

Within a radius of forty or fifty feet around the Calabash Taoist, the originally hard ground turned into mud, and his feet sank deeper and deeper into it.

The mud on the ground slowed down their movements.

There are high mountains ahead; the Gourd Taoist cannot cross them.

As for the spatial laws that the Calabash Taoist is very good at, he cannot use them either—the nemesis of spatial laws is the Dragon-Seeking Celestial Master.

Those who have mastered the laws of space can travel a thousand miles in one step after using them. However, at the moment of activating the laws, they are almost defenseless. If they are caught by Yun Ziliang's dragon, they will never be able to shake it off.

They are all seasoned veterans who have seen it all, so they naturally understand these tricks of the trade.

However, the Calabash Daoist was, after all, the First Supreme Elder, whose skills and cultivation far surpassed those of ordinary Daoist disciples. Faced with Yun Ziliang's methods, he merely let out a soft cry.
"As if walking on flat ground."

A talisman flew out of his pocket.

The talisman transformed into a pair of yellow shoes, which were then placed on the feet of the gourd-wielding Taoist.

With the yellow paper shoes, the Calabash Taoist was no longer afraid of the mud and could walk on the ground as fast as lightning.

When Yun Ziliang's mountain pressed down, he stepped onto the cliff face and moved freely.

“That’s not right, Mr. Yun. Your ‘falling rock from the mountain’ doesn’t have the same imposing force as Nine Incense Sticks.”

Suddenly, the gourd-wielding Taoist priest realized something, grabbed the gourd from his back, and threw it towards the high mountain.

The gourd, like a cannonball, crashed into the mountainside, creating a series of explosions. It continued to travel through the mountain, eventually carving a hole through it, and then hurtled towards Yun Ziliang's chest.

"Nine dragons by my side, protecting my spirit and form."

Yun Ziliang made a hand seal with his right hand, and the nine great dragons, upon receiving the command, intertwined together, forming an Eight Trigrams Formation, which blocked his way.

The Nine Dragons Eight Trigrams Formation—after exchanging blows with the gourd, the Gourd Taoist became even more certain, shouting loudly, "Medicine Master Bodhisattva, even after absorbing the stage's energy, Yun Ziliang still hasn't burned nine incense sticks!"
Presumably, Zhou Xuan didn't even burn nine incense sticks' worth of wine... You can go all out and slaughter everyone!

(End of this chapter)