New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 187 Holy Light's Failure
After receiving the blessing from the Holy Light cultivator Yuan Zhu, Meng Xiyue showed great interest. She raised her two small fists and clenched them. Sure enough, a seemingly thin and fragile 'Holy Light Force Field' appeared on her fists.

"Hoohoo!"

She made a screaming sound, imitating a boxer punching the air repeatedly, but it wasn't enough, so she turned around and punched the wall.

"what!"

With a scream, the pink-haired girl, wearing a mask of pain, withdrew her fist and complained, "Is your blessing fake? Why does it hurt so much!"

Yuan Zhu sighed helplessly: "The [Shelter] isn't some kind of boxing glove. Its main function is to isolate and shield against pollution. Of course, it has a defensive effect, but that's against attacks, especially attacks with polluting energy. Your one-sided bullying of the wall won't activate the [Shelter]. After all, blessings also have a cost. If you're defending against everything all the time, you'll have exhausted it long ago."

"Bad review!"

Crack!

With another crisp sound, Yuan Zhu quickly turned his head to look. At this moment, A Miao's index finger and thumb were pinched together, and a layer of white force field appeared at the point of skin contact.

She clenched her fingers tightly, and the [Shelter. Blessing] instantly shattered, bursting into a blinding ball of light that vanished completely.

"So crispy!" Ah Miao exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhu was speechless. This woman's strength is probably a bit too strong, isn't it? She crushed a 1/10 strength [Shelter] with pure physical strength.

In other words, the pure physical power she exerted on the [Holy Light Blessing] exceeded her limit, and the blessing treated it as 'damage output'. She couldn't defend against it and was crushed.

Meng Xiyue's expression suddenly changed in an instant, and she said with disdain, "So weak! What a trashy Holy Light newbie. How dare you cast a blessing on someone so pathetic? You think this can protect me? Just revoke your [Sanctuary]!"

As she spoke, she quickly ran behind Ah Miao and grabbed the other's clothes: "Sister Miao, Sister Miao, you will protect me, right?"

The other person reached out and patted her on the shoulder, instructing her, "Don't make any rash moves, don't make any violent actions, and you'll be safe."

Upon hearing this, Meng Xiyue immediately realized that she had been given a new buff. Unlike the trashy Holy Light Blessing from the big candle, this wave of 'Miaomiao Blessing' was silent and she didn't feel any unusual changes at all.

But judging from A-Miao's words, she realized she had entered a state of 'low presence'. Like an invisible man, she possessed the aura of a background character, and was even in a state of 'psychological invisibility'. So she provocatively raised an eyebrow at Yuan Zhu.

Seeing that no one needed the shelter, Yuan Zhu, who had mastered his divine skills, felt extremely disappointed.

This Amyo's power is even greater than mine (in human form), I wonder how many seals stronger it is?
...

After some preparation, having memorized the bank map and analyzed the 'five-person team's' escape route, Meng Xiyue led everyone back to the first floor to see if they could snag some new bargains. They also wanted to investigate what had happened at the bank and how to escape.
This time, instead of avoiding risks, the three actively approached the source of danger.

During this time, the bank floor experienced two more massive tremors, one short and one long, causing the ceiling lights to sway violently. At the same time, even through layers of thick walls, they could hear angry roars and the intrusive Buddhist chants of extreme spiritual pollution.

The intensity of this [Zen Sound Mental Pollution] was so strong that even the walls of the bank undulated and writhed, revealing smiling 'Maitreya faces' with their empty eyes moving and their gazes following the three people.

As the first, relatively short-lived "Zen sound" ceased, these writhing, coalescing faces gradually faded from the wall, leaving only blurry outlines.

When the second, longer burst of [Zen sound + tremor] erupted, Yuan Zhu saw that the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling simultaneously exhibited an animated phenomenon of undulating waves. One after another, 'Maitreya Buddha faces' came to life again, protruding from the walls, opening their mouths to laugh, chanting scriptures, and entering his mind.

However, they were all deflected by the [Soul Crystal]. Although they were not injured, their heads were buzzing and they felt very uncomfortable.

When this round of [Zen music] stopped, the outlines of the 'Buddha face' that were clearly visible no longer faded away, but instead shrank automatically, eventually turning into small, petrified [Buddha head cocoons] that were embedded in the wall.

The closer one gets to the 'source of Buddhist pollution,' the stronger the pollution emanating from the Buddhist community becomes, and the more 'fossilized Buddha heads and Buddha face outlines' form along the roadsides.

On the ground, the ordinary people who should have collapsed and lost consciousness had long since disappeared.

Looking at the empty ground, Meng Xiyue analyzed, "Initially, the pollution of Buddhism was not too strong. Only passersby who possessed extraordinary power would be targeted by the [Buddha Cocoon] and transformed into puppet hosts. But now, as the power of that Buddhist being is continuously unsealed, released, and spread, those ordinary passersby who should have been ignored have also become the targets of the [Buddha Cocoon]."

Yuan Zhu suddenly spoke up: "I don't understand! I saw several projected videos that Meng Xiyue pulled up, and the power of those [Buddha Cocoon Hosts] was quite remarkable. Presumably, the [Buddha Cocoon] that could bring about such enhancement must be of extremely high quality, and it's not a cheap item that can be conjured up casually, right?"

Yuan Zhu secretly compared it with his own [Tiger Demon Form].

Even if the [Shadow Dream Hole] were at full power, drawing a continuous stream of free 'Shadow Contamination' and refining 'Shadow Demon Insects' 24/7, the efficiency wouldn't be this fast or this high.

It took him several days to refine a dozen or so demonic insects using the [Shadow Dream Hole].

The performance of those 'Wanderers' was even stronger than after I [forged the seal], and it felt like they could kill a single 'Shadow Demon Insect' head-on. Moreover, there were quite a few of these 'Wanderers,' which can only mean that the quality of the [Buddha Cocoon] was very high, and the quantity was also extremely considerable.

However, this action is quite unreasonable. No one would waste such a large amount of high-quality [Pollution Crystals] to create a bunch of low-end cannon fodder; it's simply too unprofitable!

A-Miao: "So, that unknown Buddhist expert is very strong! Extremely strong! As I mentioned before, there are two major schools of Buddhism: 'Lingtai Insect Nest' and 'Bodhi Flesh Root'. The body-refining branch cultivates the indestructible Vajra Body, which will nurture a [Bodhi Flesh Root] within the body. This flesh-and-blood Bodhi tree will naturally bear abundant fruit. On the other hand, experts of the Vajra lineage of Buddhism can often nurture a large number of [Flesh Bodhi] within their bodies for salvation."

Meng Xiyue: "So, do the powerful figures in Buddhism follow the 'victory through quantity, the legion route'?"

A-Miao: "No! Buddhism pursues the ultimate strength of the individual. But at the same time, it also has a wonderful method of 'saving all sentient beings' as an aid. All top-level systems are powerful without any blind spots, and Kunlun, Huangtian, Shengtang, and Buddhism are all like this."

Meng Xiyue looked at Yuan Zhu with disdain again: "We're both top-tier systems, how come you're so inferior?!"

"Take a detour, go this way."

Meng Xiyue led the team, taking a shortcut for a while. Yuan Zhu soon realized that he was in a situation as if he had fallen into water, and even the air had become heavy and viscous.

Every inch of air around him resonated with the vibrations of Zen chants. The sound didn't need to be perceived by the eardrums; simply touching the skin would allow the Buddhist teachings to permeate and penetrate it. Helpless, he could only resist with holy light.

Moreover, struggling human faces kept appearing on the surrounding walls, shifting between men and women, and eventually turning into Buddha faces. Some of these faces began to collapse and shrink, becoming [stone Buddha cocoons].

This indicates that the 'contamination of Buddhism' has continued to spread and erode the surrounding buildings. They gradually entered the domain of that powerful Buddhist figure.

A-Miao noticed the unease in Yuan Zhu and the other person's hearts, so she casually picked a 'stone Buddha cocoon' from the wall, then crushed it into pieces that scattered all over the ground.

These 'stone cocoons' do not contain maggots; they are solid. "How does it feel? Essentially, they are no different from carved Buddha head statues. In fact, they are much cleaner than the remnants of other 'supernatural systems.' Those maggots cannot be bred by naturally formed 'cocoons.' Only the Bodhi root and the spiritual platform can nurture them, so there is no need to fear these cocoons."

Despite saying this, Meng Xiyue still intentionally or unintentionally avoided the wall that had formed 'Maitreya head stones' and chose to walk around it.

Yuan Zhu then picked out one and crushed it. He compared the wild [Buddha Cocoon] with the [Holy Light].

It seems that the byproducts of "Holy Light" (cremation) are purer, and various laboratories are scrambling to buy them. In contrast, naturally grown "Buddha's head cocoons" can only be sold as handicrafts.

...

Before we had gone far down the detour, a mixture of burnt and bloody odors filled the air.

Continuing forward, they indeed saw large splatters of blood and flying debris on the ground and walls ahead. The 'Buddhist pollution' in the air became even more intense and oppressive, suppressing and repelling all non-Buddhist supernatural forces.

stomping on...

The three slowed their pace and moved lighter. Then they heard disordered footsteps coming from the silent corridor. There were two sources of sound, but the footsteps were very erratic.

Yuan Zhu released his rats to spy on the situation and discovered that two stragglers, like headless flies, were wandering back and forth on a road where a fierce battle had taken place, rigidly performing their guard duties.

At the feet of the two cocoon-borne hosts lay a large number of strangely shaped, broken corpses, most bearing burn marks, with a few pierced through vital organs or torn apart. Besides the stench of burning flesh, the aroma of 'sandalwood' wafted out—the meditative fragrance emitted by the dead cocoons.

It can be determined that the new recruits, who split into two groups, had recently passed through this area while fighting and retreating, attracting a large number of 'Buddha Cocoon Hosts' and leaving behind only a mess.

Guided by Meng Xiyue, they arrived at the rear of the 'Escape Team' and followed the trail of battle, picking up scraps and prying into their secrets.

The most urgent task at this moment is to eliminate these two Buddhist lackeys.

"I take refuge in the Buddha! I take refuge in the Buddha!"

"Heretics should be punished!"

Just as Yuan Zhu was pondering, the two Buddha cocoon puppets, smelling the scent, came to the front of Yuan Zhu and the other two. They then stopped moving, fixed their gazes on Yuan Zhu, ignored A Miao and Meng Xiyue beside them, and showed expressions of hatred.

"Me? A heretic!"

He suddenly looked at his teammates, a puzzled expression on his face.

A-Miao pulled Meng Xiyue back half a step without making a sound, and whispered, "The scent of the Holy Light on you is too strong, which has aroused the hostility of the Buddha Cocoon. We don't have the Holy Light mark on us, so we are ignored."

With the 'stealth buff' stacked on her, A-Miao gave Meng Xiyue a look, signaling her not to make any big moves or attack first. So she stood still, leaving the scene to Yuan Zhu.

"An enemy of Buddhism must be killed!"

"Come die!"

The two figures accelerated simultaneously, rushing towards Yuan Zhu. Demon-subduing power erupted from their bodies, and scarlet magic power wrapped around their entire bodies like lightning. A fist was thrown out like a meteor.

Bang!
A transparent barrier (Holy Light Field) appeared out of thin air in front of Yuan Zhu, blocking the punch. Then came a series of punches, causing the Holy Light Field to flicker and crack.

Yuan Zhu could clearly see that under the armpits of the two Buddha Cocoon hosts, a pair of arms that had been torn from somewhere were installed. The color of the skin and the size of the arms were obviously different from the originals, but the flesh and blood had been recombined and fused together without any scars, and the two of them had entered the form of four arms.

This reminded him of the Vajra Temple warrior monks in [Little West Red Realm], who also had multiple arms.

The two 'believers' before him were quite different from the monks of Xiaoxihong Realm. They lacked the deathly aura of the Yellow Springs and the tomato scent (in their personalities), their Buddhist aura was richer and purer, and their color was extremely evil: scarlet! Like thick, fresh blood.

"Break the law!"

The [Buddha Cocoon Host] directly in front roared, and the crimson lightning magic power binding his fist suddenly condensed into a force field resembling a [Sanctuary], enveloping the heavy fist before striking it with lightning speed. The blow slammed into the holy light force field, breaking it apart with the force of the field itself, creating a crack before shattering completely.

"Ok?"

Yuan Zhu's eyes widened in surprise and shock. It really was another kind of [Buddhist Dharma Force Field], which was similar to his [Sanctuary], but even more condensed and solid.

Before his opponent could escape the circle, he unleashed all the holy light from the [Soul Crystal], and the [Holy Light Barrier] preemptively formed a cage, enveloping and imprisoning his opponent. Immediately, holy light blazed from within: "Refine!"

"King Kong!"

The being refined reacted swiftly, clasping its four hands together in a gesture of worship, one above the other. A crimson force field shimmered on its body, enveloping it and resisting the purification and burning of the [Holy Light]. Like a stubborn boulder, it remained unmoved within the 'barrier'.

Just as Yuan Zhu was refining the source of pollution (the host of the Buddha cocoon), another host approached, simultaneously forming four different hand seals on his limbs and arms. Crimson light swirled around him, creating different Buddhist attacks that bombarded Yuan Zhu one after another.

It emitted a series of explosions, which were repeatedly withstood by [Holy Seal. Sanctuary] without the body swaying in the slightest. However, the process of refining the heretic was interrupted.

To be precise, the captured traveler, using its crimson Buddhist energy field, withstood the refining effect of the holy light barrier, remaining in a state of attrition. It failed to break through the opponent's defenses throughout the entire process and was not refined at all.

Yuan Zhu, who had always used the [Holy Light Barrier] to crush all sources of pollution, tasted defeat for the first time. He felt terrible and began to doubt his life even more.

Spicy Strip quickly comforted him, "Boss, this guy's overall strength is above 1st Seal! And his background is no worse than yours. He's the first tough opponent you've encountered since your debut!"

In the understanding of spicy snacks, although Yuan Zhu used [Holy Light] to burn rats, frogs, gnomes, diseased weeds, and even demonic insects and Qi cultivators from [Cicada City], the root of any of these 'pollutants' was weaker than that of [Holy Light].

They either bully the weak or treat others as a "contaminated hodgepodge." But this time, facing high-quality Buddhist power directly, they couldn't refine it—they simply couldn't!
At this moment, Yuan Zhu wasn't bullying a puppet host, but rather the incredibly powerful [Buddhist expert] behind the puppet. The opponent's magical power (polluted energy), in both quality and purity, far surpassed that of this lowly 1-mark nobody.

Although the [Buddha Cocoon] did not divert too much, a wisp of high-quality Buddhist power was enough to withstand the rogue refining of the [Sanctuary] and tear apart the holy light barrier with both fists.

The shockwaves from the hit shelter continued to ripple...

(End of this chapter)