Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 920 Escape
The plain-colored cloud-shaped banner transformed into a white tiger, emitting a deep, majestic roar.

Amidst the roar of a tiger, a fierce wind swept by, like the autumn wind that sweeps away the years, and in Ji An's eyes floated an illusion of endless falling leaves rustling down.

Because the Plain Cloud Banner was his spiritual treasure, he only felt desolation, while others present could feel the chilling and annihilating power of the Metal element.

The white tiger swung its tail triumphantly, flew to its master's shoulder, and affectionately rubbed its furry head against him a few times.

Ji An reached out and patted its head. The white tiger, transformed from the most murderous spiritual treasure, became as docile as a spoiled kitten.

The white tiger merged into his skin, traveled along the immortal meridian to his dantian, and after entering the primordial fire, it boastfully approached each of his 'little friends' one by one, deeply understanding the principle that fine clothes cannot be worn at night.

Ji An sensed the tremendous improvement in the spirit treasure's condition compared to before, and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting:
"Fellow Daoist, your skill is superb; I admire you greatly."

The imitation of the Five Elements Flag relies on its own Five Elements characteristics for offense or defense, which creates a rather awkward situation: it is neither high-end nor low-end, and its performance in both offense and defense is not outstanding.

He chose the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner as his natal spiritual treasure back then because he had a stone tortoise and a Dao seed in his body, and he also had the ability to collect the five banners. He valued the overall power.

The Earth element's power, which is characterized by its virtue and capacity, has made significant progress in defense after reaching the fourth-tier top-grade level, but its offensive capabilities remain insufficient.

Although he has not yet conducted experiments, he can confirm that the power of the Plain Cloud Banner is several levels higher than expected.

As the sharp, tangible force receded, True Lord Panshan breathed a sigh of relief and said in a joking tone:
"You flatter me. Your spiritual treasure has a very strong foundation, which saved me a lot of effort. This was the easiest refining process I've ever had."

When upgrading a spirit treasure, if the item being upgraded is of good enough quality, the craftsman can make things much easier.

His words were actually a true expression of his feelings. This refining process was very easy, without any difficulties. He essentially earned the resources while lying down.

Of course, this is also his skill; weapon refiners whose cultivation level does not reach the late stage of Nascent Soul are not qualified to take orders.

After the spirit treasure's grade was upgraded, the metal element aura it emitted could sting his nascent soul.

Although it cannot cause harm yet, the power of the spirit treasure can continue to increase after years of nurturing.

He sighed softly and continued:
"A fourth-grade top-quality spiritual treasure has reached its limit. After being nurtured for several hundred years, it will naturally develop profound mysteries. At that time, you will not need to personally engage in combat. Simply release this spiritual treasure to defend against enemies. Even cultivators at the seventh or eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage will likely find it difficult to withstand it."

Normally, even a fourth-grade top-quality spiritual treasure wouldn't have such power, but when he was upgrading the spiritual treasure, he clearly saw how profound its foundation was. This plain-colored cloud banner can be seen as a manifestation of the power of the metal element.

Ji An smiled reservedly. The intensity of his primordial fire could be said to have reached the limit for a cultivator, and the superior-grade Gengxin metal seed also endowed the spiritual treasure with more power.

He took out the Flame Banner, and the phoenix's wings did not flap, yet it remained steadily in the air.

"I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist, to upgrade the grade of this spiritual treasure. What do you think the reward would be?"

The phoenix's crimson feathers were bright and beautiful, with golden patterns on its wings. Its five tail feathers, which originally displayed five colors—red, yellow, blue, white, and purple—were now gradually turning purple, emitting a stardust-like radiance as they fell, their brilliance fading away as they fell.

Lingbao had tried his best to control and restrain his power, but the temperature of the air was still rising rapidly, and waves of scorching fire spread outwards.

Only the Earthly Branches of Wu and Ji and the Firely Branches of Bing and Ding reached the Earthly Grade level. Previously, the Flame Banner of Li Di was the most powerful spiritual treasure besides the natal spiritual treasure.

Panshan Zhenjun's pupils contracted reflexively, and a wave of emotion surged in his heart. This spiritual treasure did not release much energy, which was precisely a manifestation of its ability to restrain its own energy.

Judging from the quality of its energy, this magical treasure actually has a deeper foundation than the Plain Cloud Banner.

He lowered his head slightly, swallowed, and said in a deep voice:
"Let's keep the same price as last time."

Ji An took out fifty Bodhi Ruyi Incense sticks that he had prepared beforehand, "Pay the balance for the remaining thirty sticks of incense, and keep the rest as a deposit."

Qingyun Mountain Range.

Inside the cave, True Lord Panshan spoke:

"Senior brother, I just returned from Luofeng Mountain and took on the task of upgrading the Lidi Yanguang Banner."

He took out a long, narrow wooden box, placed it on the table, and pushed it away, his smile impossible to suppress.
"Inside are five Bodhi Wish-Fulfilling Incense sticks. Thank you for the introduction, Senior Brother."

If you've received a favor from someone, you should definitely reciprocate. That way, others will think of you when good things happen to them.

A look of delight flashed in Xuanxiao Zhenjun's eyes, and he feigned reluctance, saying:

"It's all thanks to my junior brother's skill. I only said a few words. It's not worth a thank you gift."

Panshan Zhenjun pushed the gift box back to the other party, "Senior brother, this is a small token of my appreciation, please do not refuse."

The two exchanged polite words, and Xuanxiao Zhenjun accepted the gift box, asking:

"If we drive Shi Xiu away, the sect will send a cultivator to the Golden Spirit Sect in the Western Continent for exchanges. Junior brother, would you be interested in making a trip?"

This exchange also served as a probe into the Golden Spirit Sect's strength. If necessary, the Thunder Sound Pavilion hopes to conduct regular exchanges.

"It would be good to go and see how things are developing in Xizhou. Has the timeline been set yet?"

Panshan Zhenjun said that he felt that if he went to Xizhou, he might receive more refining orders.

There are no Nascent Soul level weapon refiners in the entire Western Continent. If he goes there, he will crush them and can 'fool' the Golden Spirit Sect into refining a few inherited spiritual treasures.

Xuanxiao Zhenjun smiled and nodded, "The plan is to be implemented ten years after the expulsion of Shixiu."

The next day.

Using the Nascent Soul True Monarchs as nodes, the cultivators formed square formations and launched a fierce attack on the Buddhist formation.

Ji An did not summon the Five Elements Divine Mountain to join the battle, but instead summoned the Plain Cloud Realm Banner and instructed:
"Today you will be the one to attack the Buddha formation. You are not allowed to emit any divine roars."

The power of a fourth-tier top-grade spiritual treasure is too great; even the mere whistling sound emanating from the divine intent of the metal element can harm low-level disciples.

The white tiger, the size of a kitten, nodded obediently, let out a cute low growl, and then flew into the air, growing larger with the wind, until in the blink of an eye it grew into a colossal creature thirty feet long.

It soared into the clouds and swooped down, its silver spiritual energy particles transforming into tiny flying swords, each about an inch long, which converged into a torrent that continuously bombarded the Buddhist formation.

Ji An felt the power of the attack and nodded with satisfaction, then began to communicate with the spirit treasure through telepathy:

"How long can this level of attack intensity be sustained?"

Without the blessing of the Five Banners, the attack power released by the Five Elements Divine Mountain is much weaker.

"An hour."

Ji An suddenly realized that he had been too conservative before. Since he had decided to show his muscles, he should show more strength.

He summoned the Five Elements Divine Mountain, the Azure Lotus Banner, and the Profound Origin Water Control Banner, and issued the following command:

"Spread out and attack freely for half an hour."

He has never revealed the strongest attack form of the Five Elements Divine Mountain to outsiders, nor has the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner been used in battle, so even with so many spiritual treasures exposed, he still has trump cards up his sleeve.

Moreover, his trump cards, which he could not reveal, were the five Dao Seeds and the mysteriously originating stone tortoise. Upon receiving the order, the Five Elements Divine Mountain launched a physical attack in its true form, while the two Five Directions Flag spiritual treasures unleashed the power of the five elements to attack the Buddhist formation.

A golden light screen appeared around the Buddha formation. After being attacked, the light screen vibrated much more violently and at a faster frequency.

The overwhelming momentum immediately attracted the attention of the allies, and the lower-level disciples were invigorated, putting in much more effort in their attacks.

Having such a powerful True Lord to rely on is a huge psychological comfort to everyone engaged in battle.

True Monarch Xuanfeng withdrew his gaze, a bitter smile playing on his lips. 'If I were to become enemies with Fellow Daoist Xuanqing, with so many spiritual treasures raining down upon me, I would be powerless to retaliate without even needing him to personally intervene.'

He couldn't understand why a cultivator could nurture so many spiritual treasures at the same time, and most importantly, these spiritual treasures were powerful enough.

The meaning in Juque Zhenjun's eyes was unreadable. He exhaled a breath of turbid air and launched an even more ferocious attack.

Inside the Buddhist formation, the Venerable Jingci, who was inspecting the front lines, saw the imposing attack and his eyes were as deep as an abyss.

He said to the trusted monk who was accompanying him, “The enemy’s attacks have been more intense in the past few months, and the consumption of aspiration energy has more than doubled.”

If this intense offensive continues, we definitely cannot hold out for two years.

This layer of the Buddhist array covers a smaller area, thus providing stronger defense. However, because the array is smaller, there are far fewer mortals, and consequently, far less spiritual power can be obtained each day.

The confidant lowered his head, his tone full of bitterness:

"Senior brother, if this layer of the Lotus Subduing Demon Formation is also breached, the territory we can control will be much smaller, and it will be even less suitable for a long-term battle. We should make plans as soon as possible."

When he left the Western Continent, he was full of ambition, thinking that he could cultivate to the late stage of the Reincarnation Realm in this life. He believed that as long as he could awaken his past life after reincarnation, his cultivation would be smooth sailing.

Everything was going smoothly until the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. The death of the Sea Monk King marked the beginning of the decline, and the situation became more and more perilous each day.

If the area they control continues to shrink, the enemy will have enough power to encircle them, making escape difficult.

The Venerable Master Jingci nodded slightly. "I will convene a meeting with the Venerable Masters to discuss the next steps."

The cultivators maintained their offensive rhythm, attacking with composure and patience. Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

The midday sun was blazing.

Ji An stood atop auspicious multicolored clouds, overseeing the battle. The light screen manifested by the Buddhist formation rippled across the lake, which was as if it were being battered by a storm.

His brows were furrowed as he stared intently at the Buddhist formation.

Judging from the amplitude and frequency of the Buddha formation's tremors, it cannot sustain itself for much longer.

For the past two weeks, no Buddhist cultivators have appeared. Before, during the daily attacks, Buddhist cultivators could be seen patrolling near the light barrier, and every two or three days, Buddhist cultivators at the late Nascent Soul stage would come out to harass them.

He couldn't fathom what other tricks the enemy might have up their sleeve, and thought to himself:

'Is this a sign that they're giving up?'

After a moment, he stopped thinking. The time to break the deadlock had come, and he could not let the enemy's possible conspiracy stop him from moving forward.

He let out a long roar, which was the signal to launch a general offensive.

The lower-level cultivators in the lower formation released lightning-attracting beads during the intervals of their attacks, causing the Buddhist formation to shake more violently.

Ji Anfei leaped forward and made hand seals, his magical power surging within his body. The five Dao Seeds each shone brightly, and the Five Directional Flags also emitted spiritual light, creating a wondrous resonance between the three.

He activated his Nascent Soul Dharma Form, adding another layer of power to the spell.

He only used eight-tenths of his strength in this attack, but the power of the spell was about 30% stronger than when he launched a full-scale attack on the Buddha formation last time.

The Plain Cloud Banner and the Flame Banner were upgraded to the fourth-tier top-grade, which can enhance the resonance effect of magic power.

The ideal state is for all five magical treasures to be of the same grade, which minimizes interference and allows most of the energy to be used to enhance the power of spells.

Five-colored lightning burst forth, like a blooming lotus flower, and the thunder shook the surrounding area. At this moment, the Buddhist formation finally succumbed to the pressure and shattered with a deafening roar.

The Great Lord of Juque, several miles away, was overjoyed and shouted:

"Maintain formation, attack!"

All the cultivators who participated in the attack were overjoyed. Breaking through the Buddhist formation was a great achievement, and they would receive a large reward.

The monks stormed into the Buddhist formation and soon occupied the temple that served as a node.

Three Nascent Soul True Monarchs stepped into the Great Buddha Hall, a place where Buddhist cultivators once held important gatherings, now being visited by immortal cultivators.

As intelligence reports were compiled, True Monarch Xuanfeng frowned and said:
"About ten days ago, the monks and nuns quietly left, leaving only ordinary believers in the temple."

He felt somewhat frustrated; the enemy had left behind an undefended point that had halted their advance.

Juque Zhenjun put down the mother-and-child jade in his hand and said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist Canglong sent word that their situation is similar to ours. The Buddhist formation has been broken, but the main enemy has already retreated, leaving only some small fry."

Ji An raised an eyebrow and said uncertainly:
"Does the fact that the enemy has voluntarily abandoned their defense mean that the same is true for other nodes?"
"Fellow Daoist, please inform Fellow Daoist Canglong to move closer to us. We'll attack another temple and then we'll see who prevails."

Judging from the current situation and the information we have, the enemy has likely already fled. If this is the case, it means that at least the entire outer Buddhist formation has been abandoned.

Juque Zhenjun grunted and immediately complied, having unknowingly grown accustomed to the other's commands.

He scratched his head and said:
"Fellow Daoist Canglong has begun to gather his disciples and is expected to arrive in an hour."

"Fellow Daoists, do you think the Buddhist cultivators have already fled the Eastern Continent?"

With the outer Buddhist formation abandoned, the inner Buddhist formation will only be able to resist for a shorter period of time.

The future of the Buddhist practitioners was already sealed after the outermost Buddhist formation was breached; escaping now would be a wise move.

True Monarch Xuanfeng nodded and echoed:

“It’s very possible that if I were Shi Xiu, I would have abandoned the temple and fled long ago.”

The Buddhist monks were unable to confront the cultivators head-on, and the Buddhist formations could not protect them completely. Being able to leave alive was actually the best outcome.

Ji An smiled, "Tomorrow, when we directly attack the inner Buddhist formation, we'll be able to tell whether the enemy has withdrawn their forces or has already fled."

　Something happened at home, and I haven't been able to focus on writing these past few days, so updates have been delayed.

　　Now that things are settled, I'll resume three updates a day tomorrow, and then start making up for the missed updates.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)